The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), apart from being the regulatory body for Colleges of Education in Nigeria, also serves as a strategic gatekeeper and a major link in matters relating to the development and administration of these institutions across the country. The Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Esein, made this known in an interview with the NCCE media crew shortly after paying a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Professor Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle.



The visit, which was held in the Executive Secretary’s office on 10th February 2026, was aimed at exploring areas of mutual interest between the two organisations. Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Dr. Esein said the NCC is seeking avenues to strengthen collaboration with NCCE in order to build a sustainable relationship with Colleges of Education across the country. According to him, the Commission is looking at potential partnerships that would enhance mutual mandates and deepen cooperation within the education sector.

“We are here to identify areas of common interest and explore how we can collaborate better for the future of the Nigerian education sector,” he said. “What we are building is a relationship that will outlive any of us here today. We are working towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NCCE with clearly defined areas of collaboration.” He emphasized that while the core mandate of NCCE revolves around promoting excellent teaching and learning, copyright-protected materials are inevitably produced in the process. According to him, this creates a natural intersection between the responsibilities of the two institutions. “We already have a meeting point. Our mandates complement each other, and this makes it very critical for us to relate more closely with NCCE so that we can effectively reach the Colleges of Education as centres of excellence in teaching, learning, and research,” he added.



Responding, Professor Okwelle welcomed the delegation and expressed appreciation to the Director General for the visit. He noted that copyright protection is a serious matter that requires sustained awareness, proper understanding, and strong advocacy within the academic community. He added that intellectual property rights are essential to safeguarding the creativity and scholarly output of educators and researchers in Colleges of Education.

The NCCE Executive Secretary further described the Nigerian Copyright Commission as occupying a strategic position in the protection of intellectual property within the education sector. He assured the delegation that NCCE would be willing to partner with the Commission to ensure that Colleges of Education benefit from the knowledge, policies, and regulatory frameworks provided by the NCC. The highlight of the visit was the presentation of NCC policy materials and copies of the Copyright Act to Professor Okwelle, followed by a group photograph.