At last, hope is finally on the way for the creative industry in Nigeria as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, has vowed that he will ensure the reform of the copyright system so that the system can effectively protect and promote creative enterprise and ensure that the Nigerian economy benefits from the creative ingenuity of Nigerian citizens.
The Minister, who made the promise in his Abuja office on November 25 during a meeting with a delegation of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), led by its Chairman, Tony Okoroji said that as part of the reform, the Nigerian Copyright Commission will move from its current analogue approach to a new digital approach in the enforcement of copyright law.
Commenting, Tony Okoroji said: “For a long time, there has been too much talk without action and people are getting disillusioned. In the present economic environment, the Nigerian nation must recognize the necessity to fully deploy the substantial comparative advantage which Nigeria possesses with its creative industries. This sector can provide hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs.”
According to the COSON Chairman, the era when the Nigerian economy was almost completely dependent on oil and gas is in the past and Nigeria’s future will have to be built on the creative ingenuity of the Nigerian people.
While in Abuja, the COSON delegation also had meetings with the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu and the Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. The delegation was also received by several Directors-General of different federal agencies.
The COSON team included Sir Shina Peters, Ras Kimono, Kenny Saint Best and Azeezat. Others are COSON General Manager, Chinedu Chukwuji and COSON Public Affairs Consultant, Lucy Ajayi.
