Nigeria, Country a Haven for Pirates
Nigerian Association of Recording Industries (NARI) has faulted the recent de-listing of Nigeria by the U.S. government from the list of countries where pirates and piracy thrive with reckless abandon.
Quoting from the 2007 International Federation of Phonographic Industries (ifpi) report, NARI said that contrary to the de-listing, Nigeria is still among the top 30 countries where domestic music piracy level in 2006 exceeded 50 percent
In a statemen titled “Why There Must Be An Immediate Change In The Leadership Of The Nigerian Copyright Commission,” issued in Lagos and signed by its chairman, Toju Ejueyitchie who is also the managing director of Premier Music, NARI said that the reported de-listing was made in response to the phenomenal growth in CD/VCD replicating plants in the country that has led to the introduction of Optical Disc Regulations.
According to the statement it was as a result of the introduction of the regulation that the U.S. government felt that an environment in which piracy could be reduced has been introduced and to encourage Nigeria to do more , decided to de-list the country from the comity of nations where pirates thrive in.
But inspite of the de-listing NARI has declared that three out of every four CDs or VCDs of music and films sold in the streets of Nigeria are pirated and therefore applauded the recent involvement of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in the fight against pirates.
This, the association said is because the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has failed to put pirates in check.
According to the statement, all the suggestions like the closure of CD wing of Alaba International Market, Lagos the way NAFDAC did to fake drug market in Onitsha, the continued prosecution of Akina and NASIMA, the two notorious fake CD duplicating plants in Lagos, the consfication of 1.7 million Nigerian bound pirated CDs trapped in Benin Republic among others it gave to NCC weeks after its present director general, assumed office have been ignored.
Source: This Day Online
