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Unless stealing and lying being consciously put together in brazen manner in government circles are stemmed; the current fight against corruption is meaningless.
Majority of Nigerians continue to be crushed under the merciless weight of poverty because the same government whose job it is to protect the intellectual property of its citizenry is usurping other people’s ideas; using same; and not giving credits to the originators of the ideas.
Stealing of ideas by ministries, departments and agencies of government is so widespread now that it is threatening to overtake the menace of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria. It is a cankerworm.
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The stark reality is that Nigeria wastes entirely too much money and time policing crimes like burglary, fraud, and bank-robbery when it should be doing something about intellectual piracy instead.
Intellectual piracy, that is stealing of the ideas of others and claiming them as your own is the commonest crime in Nigeria today.
The name piracy or counterfeiting is a too benevolent term that doesn’t even begin to adequately describe the toll that the theft takes on Nigerians.
Nigeria has continued to go in circles because when government officials steal from Nigerians, they lack the important resources and skills to execute the projects.
Look at the white elephant projects that litter the country.
Government officials’ gluttony and corrupt practices are causing Nigerians thousands of jobs and companies’ profits.
Most companies and individuals who dare to contest their intellectual property rights are harassed; hounded and chased out by the officials who operate like organized crime groups, and terrorist organizations.
This is call to action on the Nigerian government of Muhammed Buhari to stop this senseless robbing people of their ideas, inventions, and creative expressions.
The government should borrow from the United States of America which has made prevention of intellectual property theft a top priority.
That country’s key to success is linking the considerable resources and efforts of the private sector with law enforcement partners on local, state, federal, and international levels.
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