producer, Ayo Makun, too. His popular movie, 30
Days in Atlanta, which is Nigeria's highest
grossing cinema movie of all time, has been
pirated. The pirates are now selling copies of the
movie on the streets of Lagos. Below is his open
letter to IGP.
Dear sir,
It is with the deepest sorrow that I pen
these words. I have never understood the
true meaning of the saying “only the one
wearing the shoes feels the pain”, till recent
times. Since the advent of Independent
Producers, piracy has become the bane of
the industry because as the saying goes
‘monkey de work, baboon de chop’.
The excitement that greeted the movie industry
through the Box-Office success of 30 Days In
Atlanta has quickly turned to sorrowful awe as I
heard the news that the result of my sweat and
sleepless nights has been sold by a traitorous
miscreant, yet unknown, to a dubious marketer in
Alaba. The news that would have made not just
more Nigerians but also foreigners invest in
Nollywood, has been dampened by the nefarious
activities of intellectual pirates who hide in
Alaba.
I have contacted Silverbird Film Distribution
(whom I submitted the master of my movie to),
Mr Afam Ezekude DG National Copyright
Commission and Mr Ahbu Ventures who heads a
session of Alaba where the Criminals are
operating, Yet nothing visible has been done to
take my movie off the street.
I have always heard of the risk faced by honest
producers of loss of revenue due the activities of
the incessant piracy cabals operating freely,
without fear of the law in Nigeria and within the
past few weeks, this has been my experience as
I heard of the leak of my movie to various
nefarious elements. Enough is enough of the
economic hardship that is created for
hardworking movie producers by some of these
Alaba pirates who would do anything to reap
from where they did not sow.
Sir, it has been argued that the impressive
figures posted as revenue accrued to Nollywood
are a mere drop in the ocean if the malaise of
piracy is properly nipped by the effective
implementation of the anti-piracy laws by the
relevant governmental agencies. Alaba is part of
Nigeria and as such the activities therein ought
to be governed by the laws of Nigeria.
Even the laudable financial facilities made
available by Mr President to be accessed by
producers towards the development of the
industry both as an employer of labour and a
growing contributor to the annual revenue of
Nigeria will be for naught if the piracy vampires
continue to have a field day. The continued
dominance of piracy will either lead to producers
refusing to make more movies for fear of loss or
that producers who go ahead to make movies
using such funds will then be forced to become
indigents because they will unable to pay back
the loans accessed due to these vandals.
Sir, Nollywood is a multi-billion-naira industry
and the opening of new cinema houses across
the country is indeed cause for the celebration
for both producers and lovers of Nigerian movies
but the major challenges of the Nollywood
industry from its birth till date has been the
issue of transparent distribution channels and
the malaise of piracy.
No more should a miscreant be celebrated or
allowed to rape intellectual properties of honest
hardworking citizens with impunity while the
owners of the property impotently look on. No
more should movie producers and other
intellectual property owners scrabble to quickly
make the little they can before ‘Alaba boys’ get
their hands on the content and turn a goldmine
into a dunghill.
I urge you to use your good office to use your
actions in arresting the illegal spread of 30 Days
In Atlanta as a standard for changing the status
quo and letting the miscreants know that no one
is above the laws of Nigeria.
I wait your intervention sir.
Thanks
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