NAN-ELS-3
Pirates
By Taiye Baiyerohi
Lagos, July 31, 2017 (NAN) Some artistes and movie producers have advised the Federal Government to introduce stringent sanctions against pirates to curb their activities.
The artistes expressed the viewpoint in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
Mrs Salome Eketunde, a movie producer said that government needed to be firm in handling pirates in the country by introducing huge sums of money as fines for piracy culprits.
“The fines should depend on the worth of the pirated work.
“If a pirate is caught with N100million worth of goods, he should be made to pay N400million, which is four times the worth of the pirated goods.
“When they are made to pay through their nose, they will desist from the criminal act and the movie industry will thrive again,” she said.
An artist, Yomi King, popularly known as Opebe said that government could only discourage the activities of pirates when stronger punitive measure like death penalty was introduced.
He, however, urged the government to introduce death penalty for pirates to allow movie producers to reap the benefits accruing from their works.
“Government can only handle this piracy case seriously by ensuring that every pirate faces death either by hanging or being shot.
“We know that government is trying, but we want them to do more,” he said.
Mr Waheed Ijaduade, an independent movie producer, suggested that life imprisonment should be the better sanction for pirates.
He advised that government needed to take the issue of piracy seriously as it affected not only the movie industry but some other sectors of the economy.
Ijaduade said that the activities of pirates were retarding the growth of the movie industry as it ought to be competing favourably with those in other countries.
“Every pirate caught must be imprisoned throughout his or her lifetime; it appears government has not been serious enough.
“We want the government to be more serious on issues bordering on piracy,” he said. (NAN)
PTB/FLP/GY
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Grace Yussuf