The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has announced a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) to intensify the national fight against cybercrime and online piracy. The collaboration is designed to safeguard the nation’s creative industries and restore Nigeria’s reputation in the global digital landscape.
NCC Director-General John Asein unveiled the initiative during a meeting with journalists at NIRA’s Lagos office on Tuesday. Mr. Asein expressed deep concern over the negative international perception of Nigeria, which he attributed to the high prevalence of cybercrime and digital piracy perpetrated by individuals within and outside the country. He emphasized that joining forces with a reputable professional body like NIRA is a critical step toward curbing these escalating digital threats.
Such a synergy, he noted, is essential to sanitizing the Nigerian cyberspace and improving the country’s standing internationally. Mr. Asein highlighted the significant economic losses plaguing the creative, movie, and entertainment sectors due to persistent piracy and copyright infringement.
“The book publishers, authors, movie makers, and musicians are lamenting that pirates are depriving them of the benefits from their intellectual property,” he stated.
The Director-General assured content creators, publishers, and entertainment practitioners that the NCC remains committed to intensifying both enforcement actions and policy reforms. The objective is to ensure that intellectual property rights are not only protected but also duly rewarded.
“You will reap from what you sow; your creative efforts will no longer be in vain,” Mr. Asein assured authors and content creators.
He further stated that this partnership is in direct alignment with the federal government’s commitment to fostering a knowledge-based economy, one that is driven by innovation, creativity, and a fundamental respect for intellectual property rights.
Earlier in the proceedings, the President of NIRA, Adesola Akinsanya, reaffirmed the association’s full readiness to collaborate closely with the NCC in tackling online piracy and related cybercrimes. Mr. Akinsanya detailed that NIRA would deploy its technical expertise and advanced digital monitoring tools to identify and dismantle websites involved in piracy, thereby strengthening the integrity of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
He also stressed the necessity of continuous public enlightenment and proactive stakeholder engagement. This educational effort would target internet users, domain name registrars, and digital content distributors, informing them of the critical importance of intellectual property protection. Mr. Akinsanya pledged that the association would operate in accordance with international best practices to effectively disrupt online piracy operations.
He outlined that the association would need to collaborate with the NCC to facilitate the sharing of useful information and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring all parties are aware of the latest trends and promote responsible internet usage.
He concluded by stating that the collaboration would give rise to several key initiatives, including the joint protection of Nigeria’s creative assets online, enhanced digital copyright protection mechanisms, the establishment of a domain watchlist, and policy synergy.
“Also, joint public enlightenment, training on capacity building and many other strategies deployed to combat cybercrime and online piracy,” he said.
(Source: News Agency of Nigeria)
