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Piracy Takes Centre Stage at Nollywood Roundtable

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It was a mind stimulating session at the Goethe-Institut, last week when major stakeholders in the Nigerian movie industry (otherwise known as Nollywood), which has attracted so much attention from the international community over the past few years; gathered to deliberate on the success and crisis of the industry at a roundtable organised by Communicating for Change (CFC), a leading development communications enterprise.
Piracy was a watchword for participants at the roundtable, who expressed fear and frustration at the rate of recurrence of the menace, which has the capacity of destroying the entire Nigerian entertainment industry. They observed that piracy continues to be a problem faced by every filmmaker, and that might explain why there has not been appreciable development in Nollywood, given that investors do not get return on investment; thus have nothing to plough back into film production.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, founder/CEO of the African Movie Academy Awards(Amaa) observed that piracy is not only perpetrated from within Nigeria, but from outside as there are pirated films coming from China and other parts of the world, which just manage to escape the watch of customs agents at the borders. According to her, pirated Nollywood films from China are sold in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Angola without any returns to the copyright owners; and the pirates brave enough to bring them into Nigeria against all odds.
Emeka Ogbonna, zonal manager of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), informed that government is not adequately funding the NCC towards putting up an effective fight against piracy, and that is part of the challenges facing the Commission. But despite those challenges, he said they were doing everything possible to stem the tide of piracy, even as the NCC has no legal standing to be at the border posts, and so rely on the Nigeria Customs Service and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria to see that pirated materials are kept away from the country.
He disclosed that some copyright owners do not contribute positively to the movement, as they do not come forward to report cases of infringements, without which the Commission would be totally handicapped and not able to get a conviction in the court of law.
Teco Benson, CEO of TFP Studios, said that piracy laws in Nigeria do not have enough “teeth  to bite.” “Some of the laws have sanctions of N1,000 for people that are caught in the act; so if you are a pirate, you pirate a film and just have to pay N1,000!”
He urged government to make more legislations and enforce stiffer sanctions for piracy, and increase public awareness as some people commit the act in total ignorance, which explains why hawkers can be found on the streets and major roads selling pirated films and other materials with impunity.
For Benson, Nollywood is the hope of Nigeria and it high time government began to raise the stakes in the piracy war, as the film industry could make significant contributions to the nation’s GDP.
At the end of the day, the participants at the forum agreed that until pirates begin to behave as the thieves that they are, there is no way forward in putting a stop to the problem, which continues to thwart the growth of the Nigerian creative industry.

 


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NASENI, Nasarawa State, Firm to Establish Tractor Manufacturing Plant in North-Central Geo-political Zone

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National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is set to collaborate with Nasarawa state government and Bobtrack Tractors, a division of Saint Bob Motors Limited to start the manufacturing and assembling of tractors in the north-central geo-political zone.

Left to Right: The Chief Executive Officer, Bob Track Ltd, Mr. Ibifiri A.C Bob Manuel; the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu; the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, and Mr. Jerry of Bob Track Ltd, during a courtesy visit at NASENI Headquarters on Monday, April 22nd, 2024.

The facilities and infrastructure available at one of NASENI’s Institutes, Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI), Lafia, Nasarawa state will be used for assembling and manufacturing of the tractors.

According to the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, the project which is aimed at creating wealth and jobs for Nigerian youths is in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of ensuring food security and promotion of mechanized farming and agro-business in the country. Halilu disclosed this when the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdulahi A. Sule led a delegation comprising of Bob Track Tractors to pay a visit to the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, April 22nd, 2024.

Mr. Halilu who assured Governor Sule and the delegation of NASENI’s readiness to do business with them, said, “the Agency is willing to partner with you and sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) so that in the next couple of weeks we will move into action.”

He disclosed that Mr. President had recognized NASENI as a national brand and its National Tractor Recovery Programme wherein 55,000 tractors would be refurbished for mechanized farming nationwide.

In his remarks, Governor Sule said, he aligned with NASENI’s vision of collaborating and promoting made-in-Nigeria goods and also believed that government’s role is to provide a level playing field necessary for businesses to thrive.

The objective of his visit, he said, was to introduce the Bob Track Tractors which deals in assembling and manufacturing of tractor and farm implements with offices in Port Harcourt to NASENI so that it could utilize the existing facilities at AMEDI, Lafia for assembling of tractors instead of acquiring a new land for the business.

The CEO of Bob Track Tractors, Mr. Ibifiri A.C. Bob Manuel said, “We are ready to take up the facility that you have in Nasarawa State, create employment and wealth for the youths in the area and also use it as a hub to drive mechanized agricultural vision of the present administration. We are willing to invest in Nasarawa state with help of His Excellency, his team and NASENI.”


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ARISE News Channel Goes Live in SA, 9 Other Southern African Countries

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ARISE News Channel, Africa’s premier broadcaster, has announced its expansion into South Africa and nine other Southern African countries.

ARISE News Channel Goes Live in SA, 9 Other Southern African Countries

The channel is now available on Multichoice/DSTV Channel 416 in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

With this expansion, ARISE News Channel is now live in 54 African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon, Sudan, Ghana, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire, among others.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary on January 31, ARISE News Channel continues to showcase Africa’s diversity in business, politics, technology, commerce, science, sports, show business, and fashion, while projecting the best of Africa and its cultures globally.

Nduka Obaigbena, chairman and editor-in-chief of ARISE News Channel,, expressed determination to launch the channel in all countries worldwide, stating, “The move to Southern Africa reaffirms ARISE News Channel’s position as the leading broadcaster in Africa with independence and clear thinking. We are determined to celebrate the best of Africa and tell the African story in the global marketplace.”

He added, “We shall continually showcase the emerging African century where Nigeria and other African countries will be some of the leading economies around the world. This is a marathon and not a dash: we will do for Nigeria and Africa what the CNN, the BBCs, and Aljazeeras have done for their nations and regions. In the emerging African AI- driven new information highway, no one will shape your narrative better than you.”


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Simi to Feature on Glo Sponsored African Voices

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This week, the incredible talents of Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, better known by her stage name, Simi, will be highlighted on African Voices Changemakers, an interview program sponsored by Globacom on Cable News Network (CNN).

Simi began her career initially as a gospel singer. Her debut studio album, “Ogaju”, was released in 2008. After she got a record deal with X3M Music in 2014, she released the album “Tiff,” which was nominated for a 2015 Headies Best Alternative Song award.

Her debut studio album, “Omo Charlie Champagne”, Vol. 1, was released to mark her 31st birthday on April 19, 2019, and her second album, “Simisola”, was also released the same year. She became the CEO of her own label, Studio Brat, which she launched in June 2019.

Simi was one of the judges of the Season 7 of the Nigerian idol TV show in 2022.

Mother of a girl named Dejare, Simi married popular musician, Adekunle Gold in 2019 having graduated from Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State. Some of her works include “Joromi”, “Know You”, “Jericho”, and “Duduke”.

On Saturday at 8.30 a.m., the 30-minute magazine show will air on the global channel. Reruns can be seen on Saturday at noon, Sunday at 4.30 a.m., and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Another rerun will air at 4 a.m. on Monday of the following week, 8.30 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday, and 7 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. on Sunday.


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