Nigeria Filmmakers on Monday took the bulls by the horns as they called for legal reforms to stop the menace of piracy that is threatening to eradicate their means of livelihood.
Their main grouse is with operators of the famous Alaba International Market, located at Ojo area of Lagos State. The market was founded in the 1970s and located along the Lagos-Badagry expressway is by un arguably the biggest electronics market in the West Africa sub region.
But the sad side to it is the nightmare that the place has become for creative minds. As a result of their purported unholy activities, the filmmakers are specifically calling for review as they are demanding that the law be amended the way it is in India and some other countries, into death penalty for piracy, which has seen piracy successfully controlled.
The filmmakers had marched through the streets of Lagos in protest then tabling their grievances before the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. Their reason was due to the brazen display and sales of pirated products in the streets of Lagos. They pointedly told the governor that legal reforms, more than anything else is needed if the menace must stopped. In his address, the President, Licensed Film Exhibitors, Igwe Gabriel Okoye, aka Gabosky said the present legal framework provides incentive to venture into piracy. According to Gabosky,“We have located the den of these pirates. We have identified those involved but we do not have the legal backing.
And those that we spent six years prosecuting only bagged three months of imprisonment or option of N10, 000 as fine. That is the law of our country. In Nigeria we celebrate piracy but our colleagues in other countries enjoy better arm of the law. For instance in India, it is death penalty.” He further said pirates have rendered the money and efforts of filmmakers in the country meaningless.
And to buttress his points that powerful people were behind the booming business, he said, “When we went to Alaba International Market, the security officials who went with us sustained several degrees of injuries.” For awards winning filmmaker, Mr. Tunde Kelani, “The situation is disheartening for investors because in the past,pirates wait for producers to release their films, but the new trend now is that while the film is still in the cinema, they are pirated and sold openly on the streets of Lagos unhindered, and the centre of the activity is Alaba market at Ojo Local Government. “We need to do something otherwise we will continue sending the wrong signal that pirates are above the law. We want the Federal Government to promulgate laws that elevate piracy to the class of armed robbery and financial crimes among others on sales of pirated works. We are appealing that the Alaba International Market especially the electronic division be shut to serve as a deterrent to others.” Another filmmaker and resected actor Mr. Tunji Bamishigbin said piracy will further worsen unemployment in the country if efforts are not doubled to stem the tide.
His welcome address, Governor Fashola said he understood the value of the industry in terms of contribution to the economy, and encourage them to keep up with the fight. His words: “Please don’t give up. You will win this battle. It is not just the filmmakers, the book writers and musicians and everyone who lives on his intellectual gift must join the fight. For as long as it takes, I will be on your side until this war is won. Stealing of intellectual property that we call piracy is not peculiar to Nigeria, it happens in other countries.
“They haven’t successfully overcome it but they have put it under control through different measures. And some of them you have alluded to. And it is those measures that we must adopt in full quantum. And the first thing to agree about is the need for law enforcement because there is a law that prohibit piracy; either weak or not
