Celebrating 53 Years of IP Theft, Corruption

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek editorial

Unless corruption, stealing and lying being consciously put together in brazen manner in government circles are stemmed; the independence, which the country is celebrating this week, has no meaning.

So much is made about the fact that some countries such as Taiwan which were poorer than Nigeria at independence are now more industrialized and richer with poverty levels very low among their people.

On the contrary, 53 years after independence, the majority of Nigerians continue to be crushed under the merciless weight of poverty because the same government whose job it is to protect the intellectual property of its citizenry is usurping other people’s ideas; using same; and not giving credits to the originators of the ideas.

Stealing of ideas by ministries, departments and agencies of government is so widespread now that it is threatening to overtake the menace of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria. It is a cankerworm.

Instead of putting up lavish and elaborate ceremonies to celebrate independence, this is the time for sober reflection and situate where things went wrong as a means to chart a better future for Nigerian children.

The engine of development is human capital and knowledge galvanized by solid and visionary leadership.

But in Nigeria, government and its functionaries practice:  ‘do what we say and not what we do’.  Shame!

In other climes, governments enforce strict Intellectual property laws and that is why their economies are growing.  Intellectual property fires the kiln of production.

But Nigeria has continued to go in circles because when government officials steal from Nigerians, they lack the important resources and skills to execute the projects.

Without long term vision, the resultant projects from the stolen ideas are inorganic; unrealistic; and make mockery of the government in power. Look at the white elephant projects that litter the country.

Again, the inanity of the controversial 10 million mobile phones proposed for farmers by the ministry of Agriculture shows the ineptness of a stolen idea.

Anabel Mobile, a local phone maker said the idea was hijacked from it.

Nicolas Okoye, chief executive officer,  Anabel said: “The very fact that Adesina (Minister for Agriculture) has admitted that it is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Communication is a confession of guilt because Anabel Mobile, it was, that introduced the scheme to the Ministry of Communication in the first place.”

He supported his claim with the various proposals and letters which were duly stamped and signed as received.

According to Okoye, Anabel Mobile first introduced the idea in a proposal it prepared and sent to the ministries of agriculture and communication in 2011.

In the proposal, he said his company presented an elaborate public private partnership model that would ensure farmers in rural areas benefit from strategic agricultural services through the phone project.

He added that a feature of the idea is the creation of thousands of jobs since the phones would be manufactured in Nigeria.

Anabel Mobile offered details but the ministry of Agriculture has failed to convince anybody how it plans to sink N60 billion of Nigeria’s payers’ money to promote agriculture.

Critics of the ministry of Agriculture phone see it as an outrageous idea which does not solve the primary challenges that Nigerian farmers are contending against.

In Nigeria, where phones now ring in every pocket, purse and bag; the proposed cost per telephone is higher than the going rate in the market.

And what research was carried out by the ministry of Agriculture to show that there are 10 million farmers who need to be supplied with cell phones?

Well, the real issue is that action of the government officials is causing the like of Anabel and hundreds of other genuine Nigerians and companies’ untold hardship.

Government officials’ gluttony and corrupt practices are causing Nigerians thousands of jobs and companies profits.

Most companies and individuals who dare to contest their intellectual property rights are harassed; hounded and chased out by the officials who operate like organized crime groups, and terrorist organizations.

This is call to action on the Nigerian government to stop this senseless robbing people of their ideas, inventions, and creative expressions.

The government should borrow from the United States of America which has made prevention of intellectual property theft a top priority.

That country’s key to success is linking the considerable resources and efforts of the private sector with law enforcement partners on local, state, federal, and international levels.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reiterate that until Nigerians are freed from the bondage of corruption and stealing, there is absolutely nothing to show and celebrate for independence