By Joshua Olomu
Dr John Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has called for the integration of general Intellectual Property (IP) education into the curricula of Nigerian universities.
He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a meeting with winners of the 2025 WIPO Nigeria National Essay Competition in Abuja.
The meeting was part of a study visit by the winners and for them to also present policy recommendations to the commission, and as well understand its statutory operations.
According to the DG, the push for IP education in universities is part of a wider effort by the NCC to promote a strong culture of respect for IP rights from an early age.
He said Nigeria was a leading creative hub in Africa and its citizens, especially the younger generation needed to have a clear understanding of IP and copyrights to effectively maximise its creative potential.
Asein said tertiary institutions as centres of learning and research needed to introduce their faculties and students to the subject of IP in line with global trends and make Nigerian universities globally competitive.
“That will help the students to value the creativity and innovation in them and also know why they need to respect other people’s Intellectual Property.
“What we are saying in that regard is not to have a full course on IP, but as part of the general studies, they should have some modules on IP.
“Then for some other courses that are innovation or creativity based, they should have IP as part of the course.
“For instance, if you are a student of Fine Arts or any of the arts in a university or a polytechnic, you need to understand what rights you have in the works you are producing,
“If you are in the business field you need to understand the value of trademarks and branding to businesses so you will not be shortchanged in the business world.
“For those in sciences who are hoping to innovate or to invent, and you don’t know what patents mean, anyone can come and buy your innovation or your invention for peanuts,” he said.
According to the DG, NCC will continue to provide materials that will be easily digestible by all these users, and any opportunity needed to push the initiative.
He said the commission had recently presented the revised Model IP policy to the General Assembly of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU).
He said the model policy developed by the commission in collaboration with the CVCNU in 2021 was reissued as part of the commission’s renewed effort to promote its adoption and implementation.
“So, for Nigeria to actually grow and use innovation and creativity, it must also educate those who are going to be producing that innovation or creativity.
“That is why we think the best place to start is at the school level or the university level.
“It is good enough if every student that passes through a higher institution of learning is able to understand the rudiments of intellectual property.
“We are talking to NUC, we are talking to the Vice-Chancellors and the individual universities to imbibe more of IP knowledge in building their students,”he said.
He urged universities to integrate the WIPO Distance Learning 101 course on IP, which is available online for free, into their General Studies curricula to equip students with essential IP knowledge.
Asein, who congratulated the winners of the 2025 essay competition, said they will be equipped with relevant copyright knowledge and made Ambassadors of the commission in its fight against copyright infringements.
In his remarks, Dr Tobi Moody, Director, WIPO Nigeria Office, lauded NCC for its commitment to IP and copyright issues and support for the annual essay completion.
According to him, the National Essay Competition, which started in 2020, seeks to engage students of tertiary institutions with IP knowledge.
He said the theme of the 2025 edition was “IP and Music: Harnessing Nigeria’s Music Industry for Economic Growth.”
According to him, the competition aims to encourage Nigerian students to think critically about the role of IP in driving innovation and creativity, particularly within the country’s booming music sector.
“I want to acknowledge the role of the Copyright Commission, especially in the judging process, as we have at least three senior members of the commission among the judges.
“I want to also thank the Director General for releasing your best to support us on this initiative.
“This year, we had a total of 188 entries for the competition, and for about four months, we had 20 excellent judges who reviewed these entries painstakingly.
“Then we came up with 17 finalists and three top winners, making it 20, which we as an organisation seek to further invest in and support as Ambassadors for intellectual property,” he said.
Moody said the top three winners would be given scholarships for further training abroad. (NAN)
Edited by Joseph Edeh
