Akwa Ibom Deputy Gov, Ekpo lauds Copyright Commission’s strides

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

As Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) braces up to mark its 30th Anniversary in August, the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State and pioneer Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Moses Ekpo has lauded the progress made so far in the actualisation of its statutory mandate. Mr. Ekpo, who as the first DG of NCC rose to the status of President of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from 1995 to 1996, gave this commendation during a courtesy visit to the new Director-General of the Commission, Mr. John Asein in his office in Abuja. The Deputy Governor, who served as DG NCC from 1996 to August 2000, expressed delight that the Commission has sustained the vision of its establishment in August 1989 for the protection of the rights of authors and growth of the creative industries in Nigeria. Mr. Ekpo noted that the appointment of Mr. Asein as Director-General was meritorious, adding that the purpose of his courtesy visit was mainly to congratulate him and encourage the staff and stakeholders of the Commission to support the new Management in realising the Commission’s mandate. Mr. Ekpo remarked: “I am pleased that John who was one of the most brilliant and prolific officers of the Commission right from its inception is now at the helm as DG. He is eminently qualified to deliver on the mandate of the Commission.” “It is nice to be back to Copyright Commission and I am proud of the NCC. Please, keep the flag flying to sustain the growth of the Commission and the copyright industries”, he stated. The Director-General, Mr. Asein expressed appreciation to Mr. Ekpo for the endorsement of the Commission and the good work ethic he bequeathed to the NCC. He noted the laudable role that Mr. Ekpo played as President of WIPO General Assembly in the initiation and mobilisation of multilateral support for the adoption of the Internet Treaties, namely the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) in 1996. “Management is happy with the foundation and legacy you laid for the wellbeing of the Commission,” he stated. The DG pledged to resuscitate programmes of the Commission such as the Copyright Forum initiated by Mr. Ekpo during his stewardship as DG, NCC. The Director-General stated that the Commission under his watch would implement its mandate in line with Federal Government’s policy on Economic Reconstruction and Governance.