Nigeria continues to lose billions of naira annually to piracy, according to the Nigerian Copyright Commission.
The revelation came during an anti-piracy sensitisation programme organised by MultiChoice Nigeria for students of Kuramo Senior College, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Lynda Alphaeus, a director at the NCC, lamented that the nation underestimates the scale of loss caused by intellectual property theft and its damaging ripple effects across the creative sector, according to TheNation.
“It not only affects the monetary value that would have gone to the creators; it also affects the economy generally because those who would have been employed by those creators are not being employed in the fashion industry, arts, or different types of categories,” she said.
Alphaeus noted that the consequences of piracy extend beyond content creators, as reduced revenues in the creative industry mean fewer jobs and stunted growth across several sectors. She explained that engaging teenagers in anti-piracy education is a proactive approach, emphasizing that “when children have a change of mindset, a part of the war is already won.”
Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs at MultiChoice Nigeria, reiterated the company’s commitment to curbing piracy through public enlightenment and youth engagement.
“Piracy is not a victimless act; and the fight against piracy must begin in classrooms. The future of Nollywood, Nigerian music and other forms of creative expression lies in the hands of these young people. If they learn to respect creativity now, they’ll help secure the future of our creative economy,” she stated.
A recent UNESCO report estimates that between 50 and 70 percent of Nigeria’s film industry revenue is lost to piracy each year—a staggering figure for one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries. This reality underscores the urgency of sustained anti-piracy campaigns like MultiChoice’s, aimed at protecting the future of Nigeria’s creative economy and empowering the next generation to respect intellectual property.
