Protocols

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this epoch making event to mark the commencement of a promising and prosperous new year 2026.

Today’s event underscores our corporate philosophy, that sustainable national development is inseparable from accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education.

As one of Nigeria’s longstanding indigenous publishing organisations, Evans Brothers has remained committed to advancing learning through the development of curriculum-compliant and socially responsive educational resources. However, beyond academic publishing, we recognise a deeper responsibility: to ensure that literacy initiatives intentionally include underserved and special-needs communities.

Also, the Company is one of the few that have signed into the demands of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled of 2013.

It is in alignment with this commitment that we are formally launching the distribution of Braille storybooks to visually impaired students in selected schools within Ibadan metropolis in Oyo State, alongside the provision of audio-enabled digital access to selected titles.

This dual-format approach reflects our strategic investment in inclusive publishing solutions, solutions that remove barriers, expand reach, and support independent learning. Through the integration of braille and audio formats, we are strengthening our contribution to accessible education while leveraging technology to extend the impact of content delivery.

The Company’s Inclusive Literacy Programme is designed to achieve three core objectives:

1.  To promote equitable access to literacy resources for visually impaired learners.
2. To strengthen reading culture and language development through alternative learning formats.
3. To reinforce Evans Publishers long-term corporate commitment to educational development, social inclusion, and innovative publishing.

The event is going to witness the presentation of selected five (5) interesting story books from among the Company’s book list already converted into Braille format, to each of the sixty (60) visually impaired learners as selected from four (4) different schools during the enumeration process thus:

1. C.A.C. Special Basic School, Oniyanrin, Ibadan – 3 students
2. Omoyeni Special Basic School, Adesola, Orita Aperin, Ibadan – 54 students
3. Bioku AlaadunSpecial Basic School, Amuloko Area, Ibadan  –  2 students
4. Special Basic School, Sharp Corner, Oke-Ado, Ibadan  – 1 student

The titles involved are:

1. Ibrahim The Waterman
2. Papa’s Jacket
3. Too Late
4. Eto on the Hilltop
5. The Pretty Doll

We acknowledge the critical role of the Oyo State Ministry of Education, school leadership, educators, and development partners in driving inclusive education. Their collaboration remains central to the success and scalability of programmes of this nature.  I want to particularly recognize the unrelenting efforts of the Director General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Dr. John Asein, to encourage publishers to foster accessible and inclusive publishing.  His efforts influenced Evans Publishers’ decision to key into the treaty.

To the beneficiaries, we emphasize that this initiative extends beyond today’s presentation. It represents a sustained engagement framework through which Evans Publishers will continue to explore accessible publishing, partnerships, and content development models that support learners with diverse educational needs.

As an organisation, we remain focused on aligning our publishing strategy with global best practices in inclusive education, digital learning, and social impact investment. The Evans Inclusive Literacy Programme is one of several platforms through which we are strengthening that alignment.

We reaffirm our Company’s commitment to building an inclusive knowledge economy where learning resources are not limited by physical ability, and where every learner is equipped to participate meaningfully in nation building.  This is just the beginning. I want to register our commitment to extend this gesture to many more learners in this category across Oyo State, and possibly, the country as a whole.

We appreciate the presence of all stakeholders and media partners who continue to amplify the importance of inclusive literacy.

Thank you for your continued partnership and shared commitment to educational advancement.