“If addressed and revitalised, we can stop the constant importation of books and other printed materials as our research shows that we spend over N200 billion annually to import books and other printed materials.”
These words were spoken by Mr Adekunle Adebambo, the President of Gothenburg Print Professionals Association of Nigeria (GUPPAN).
During a media parley in Abuja, the GUPPAN President, called for an urgent intervention in Nigeria’s printing sector, adding that the country is losing an estimated N1 trillion in revenue.
Adebambo said: ” The situation has even worsened as all the three major printing presses in the country have become moribund.
As we speak today, the problem of the printing industry requires urgent national intervention because on an average, we are losing a revenue of about N1 trillion as a result of our inability to revive our printing sector which would have generated revenue, create jobs and attract investments.
Today, when you go to the airports, you will see cargoes bringing in books; in the seaport same thing. This needs to stop and it starts with efforts to revitalize large printing presses,” he said.
He advised the federal government to come up with a national policy on printing “where it will address core issues such as standardisation and technological investment, because if every student in secondary school buys nine books and we have 250,000 students in each local government, the policy will drive huge investments and job creation.”