Tosin Ajirire and Damiete Braide
For pirates, it is no longer business as usual as the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has vowed to ensure that laws regarding intellectual property are adequately implemented, with stakeholders in the creative sector reaping abundantly from the sweats of their labour.
The new Director General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. John Asein made this vow on Monday, August 19 during the press conference kicking off the 30th anniversary of the Commission, held at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The Nigerian Copyright Commission was established and inaugurated in August 1989 under the Copyright Act, with the statutory mandate to be responsible for all matters relating to copyright in Nigeria. In the pursuit of its statutory mandate, the Commission ensures there is total compliance with its rules, while also assisting copyright owners in the enforcement of their rights.
Addressing the press and industry stakeholders at the event, Asein, said NCC would trigger off the rogues in the country, as there will be a component of anti-piracy strategy that will be built in the celebration. He said: “We must make strong statements that pirates will not continually threaten this industry and all of us would fold our hands. Never again will NCC or the creative arts industry allow pirates to rule. We will ensure that the laws are adequately implemented and the creative sector gets the right benefit for all the years that they have laboured.”
The DG stated further that NCC would from now beam its searchlight on the visual arts sector. “We all know that it is all about broadcasting, literary, music and film, and in the last 27 years, we have not done much in the visual arts sector. Let us start from where we have left, let us begin to identify those that we have left behind and begin to retrace those steps to capture every person that should matter in the creative arts sector,” he posited.
To Asein, the anniversary is not all about NCC, but also about regaining the Commission’s position, pride and essence of the creative industry not just in Nigeria but also in the larger space where Nigeria has proven itself to be the connoisseurs.
Recalling the inauguration of NCC on August 19, 1989, Asein said, aside rolling out the celebration drums in the next three months, the Commission will draw the attention of Nigerians to the creative industry as one that will outlive the oil wells, that will always defend and showcase Nigerians as the good people that we are. “The industry has shown the strength in Nigerians, and no matter what the challenges are, Nigerians will always find a way through it. We will celebrate our creative partners, the different industries and those who are still coming up,” he said.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of materials and learning kits for children, which the DG described as “one of the projects that will ensure that school children begin to understand and have respect for creativity”.
Asein explained further: “We will go back and replant those seeds and ensure that every child in Nigeria understands why creativity is very important. We believe that we can do it. We have an ambitious plan that in the next three years, we should be able to put in the hands of 1 million children some knowledge of copyright, that will be a starting point, and with the kind of support that we have today, we will be able to reach out to various partners who have shown their willingness to support this programme.
“We want every child to know and understand the value of creativity not only as a means of expressing themselves but also as a means of generating wealth. The government is interested on how to use the creative sector to grow wealth, to bring employment and enlarge the economic base of Nigeria.”
Speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Senator Michael Bamidele said 30 years of NCC is worthy of celebration. According to him, it has been 30 years of challenges and the Commission is at a significant stage for the development of intellectual property. “I am glad that everyone within the industry has kept the faith, we are holding up to the hope that our tomorrow will definitely be better than our yesterday and today. I am proud that the Senate and National Assembly will work with the creative community in the country to tap to the fact the creative community is supposed to be a community of successful people and by extension the entertainment industry.
“The copyright laws in Nigeria need a lot of reforms and we will work with NCC and the entire creative arts community to bring about the reforms that will ensure that the next 30 years will take us to the next level where we are supposed to be and it will not be the same old story,” Bamidele promised.
In his goodwill message, former Director of Nigerian Copyright Commission and Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Moses Ekpo, urged state governments to compliment the efforts of NCC by providing accommodation and basic support for the establishment of copyright offices in their states, to help in developing the creative industries and contribute to its growth.