The Federal Government has said about 70 per cent of revenue that should accrue to Nigeria’s film industry yearly is lost to piracy, warning that the growing threat is putting jobs, investment and earnings across the creative economy at risk.

The government said the scale of digital piracy had prompted a coordinated enforcement approach involving copyright authorities, security agencies, telecommunications operators, internet service providers, digital platforms and rights owners.

Speaking at the National Seminar on Copyright, Cybersecurity and Nigeria’s Creative and Digital Economy in Abuja on Monday, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said piracy had evolved beyond conventional copyright infringement.

Fagbemi, who was represented by the Solicitor General, Jedy Agba, said illegal streaming platforms, pirate websites and rogue digital services had made piracy a sophisticated and borderless enterprise.

He said copyrighted works could be reproduced, modified and distributed globally within seconds, while perpetrators and illicit proceeds could be concealed across jurisdictions.

“Online piracy cannot be tackled effectively by copyright enforcement authorities operating in isolation,” he said.

Fagbemi said the proposed Abuja Copyright Action Plan would provide a coordinated framework for tackling online piracy, with specific actions, responsible institutions, implementation timelines and monitoring mechanisms.

According to figures attributed to UNESCO, Nollywood produces about 2,500 films annually and directly employs an estimated one million people, meaning piracy affects a broad chain of producers, actors, technicians, marketers and distributors.

The music industry is also recording rapid growth in legitimate digital revenue. Spotify’s Loud & Clear data showed that income generated by Nigerian music rose from N11 billion in 2022 to N25 billion in 2023, N58 billion in 2024 and N60 billion in 2025.

Nigerian artists generated 30.3 billion streams globally in 2025, while independent artists and labels accounted for 58 per cent of royalties.

Fagbemi called for real-time intelligence sharing among enforcement agencies, stronger cooperation with internet service providers and digital platforms, and faster lawful takedown or blocking of infringing content.

He said the Nigerian Copyright Commission had intensified enforcement through takedown and domain-blocking operations, arrests and prosecutions, but sustained cooperation from the private sector was required.

The Director of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Nigeria Office, Dr Oluwatobi Moody, said digital piracy was increasingly linked to cybersecurity risks, including malware, identity concealment and threats to digital infrastructure.

He said WIPO was ready to support the Nigerian Copyright Commission with technical tools, including WIPO ALERT, to help disrupt the financial infrastructure of pirate sites.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Dr John Asein, said the seminar marked a shift from treating piracy solely as a copyright issue to addressing its implications for jobs, investment, digital security and economic growth.