Minister of Info. and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed and IGP, Alh. Idris Ibrahim
The Nigerian Police has pledged it preparedness to launch a consistent war against Intellectual Property theft in Nigeria.
This disclosure was made by the Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Ibrahim Idris in his Abuja office when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, led a delegation of the Nigerian creative industry to meet with the IGP on Monday, July 24, 2017.
Before the IG, the Minister recreated the horrors that Nigerian musicians, movie makers, authors and publishers are going through as a result of the debilitating piracy in the country and the harm it is doing to the national economy. He called on the IG to set up special mobile police squads across the country that will continuously deal pirates a deadly blow and force them out of business.
The Inspector-General there and then nominated two Deputy Inspectors-General to immediately meet with stakeholders in the creative industry and key agencies of government to give him an action plan to take on the pirates across the country without delay.
Speaking at the meeting with the I.G.P., COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, a tireless fighter against the infringement of the rights of creative people said that the nature of wealth in the world has changed and for the national economy to thrive, everyone in Nigerian needs to understand that respect for intellectual property rights is central to the economic growth of any nation in the new knowledge economy.
He said that in practically every country across the continent, Nigerian music, movies, literature and other forms of intellectual property are making waves. The former president of PMAN regretted that it was pirated versions of these products that are spread all over. He wondered why Nigeria would not vigorously fight against this stealing of Nigerian wealth as the nation would fight if it is Nigerian oil that is so brazenly stolen. Chief Okoroji called for the teaching of Intellectual Property in all the Police Colleges in the country.
Back at the Ministry of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed immediately set up a team to interface with the police to ensure that action is taken immediately.
