Tech
Copyright Commission raids Enugu digital Tv, confiscates N250m equipment
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) said it raided Enugu and impounded illegal digital cable networks worth N250 million to serve as a deterrent to others in the business.
The Commission had on Sept. 21 sealed the premises of a digital television station, Real Summit Television, situated at Nsukka, Enugu State.The television station, it was gathered, was allegedly stealing the programme contents of other digital satellite transmitting stations like DSTV and Startimes.
Before sealing the station at Ugwuoye, Nsukka, the Commission had first arrested the Manager, Mr Daniel Anedo and subsequently demobilised the station by removing the gadgets used in getting signals for onward transmission.
The gadgets and equipment demobilised included the transmitter, decoders, inverters, and the scramblers.
The Commission equally switched off the transmitter and other gadgets so that there was no way the broadcast station could indulge in pirating other stations.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday, the Enugu State Director, NCC, Mrs Okeke Ngozi, said Anedo was arrested while doing illegal broadcasting activities and his equipment impounded.
According to her, he was arrested sometime in March but still went back to the same business without permission from the cable network.
Condemning the act, Okeke urged other citizens doing the same illegal business to desist from it as it was discouraging the investor that invested in that line of business.
“The illegal operation prevents the real owners from engaging unemployed Nigerians and NCC is warning them that if they continue, the full wrath of the law will descend on them.
“They will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” she said.
The state director, however, stated that the Director-General of NCC, Dr John Asein had zero tolerance for piracy, saying he was more committed in the fight against it.
“It is no longer business as usual, NCC under our Director-General is fighting piracy in all aspect of copyright as well as creative works.
“All the perpetrators will soon be clamped down, no matter how long it will take,” she said.
Leader of the Operation, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, an Assistant Director, NCC, Enugu Office said the operation took place to stop them from stealing other stations’ contents.
“We were not interested in what they were doing except that they were pirating other Cable Network programme contents.
“If they want to operate an independent station, we have no problem with that, What we will not tolerate is the piracy going on at the station,” he said.
NAN
Additionally, the court imposed a N150 million fine on MultiChoice Nigeria for contesting the jurisdiction of an Abuja court that had previously restrained it from increasing its subscription prices.
The verdict, delivered on Friday, June 7, was handed down by a three-member panel led by Thomas Okosu. The court cited Section 39(2) of the FCCPC Act, which grants the tribunal jurisdiction throughout Nigeria over all profit-oriented commercial activities.
Okosu clarified that the tribunal’s jurisdiction covers all business activities within Nigeria, and he noted that there is no requirement for an aggrieved consumer seeking to enforce their rights to file a complaint with the President of Nigeria or the Price Control Board. He observed that the claimant had written to the FCCPC before filing the case.
“I conclude that this tribunal has the jurisdiction to preside over consumer rights in this case and resolve this issue against MultiChoice,” Okosu stated.
The tribunal also determined that the claimant’s lawsuit was not challenging the price hike itself but the illegality of MultiChoice’s eight-day notice to customers. It noted that MultiChoice had already disobeyed its interim orders and condemned the company’s action of raising DStv and GOtv prices.
The tribunal dismissed MultiChoice’s preliminary objection for disobeying interim orders and imposed an administrative penalty for failing to comply with the tribunal’s directives.
“The first defendant is hereby mandated to pay a N150 million penalty. MultiChoice is hereby ordered to give Nigerians one month of free subscription,” Okosu added.
Previously, the tribunal had restrained MultiChoice from increasing its subscription rates pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed by Barrister Festus Onifade. Onifade had sued MultiChoice Nigeria Ltd and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), accusing the PayTV company of unjustly increasing subscription fees without giving customers a one-month notice and seeking interim orders against the organization.
However, in its reaction, MultiChoice said it will appeal against Friday’s ruling of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, CCPT, which slammed a N150 milliuon fine against it for challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
Multichoice Nigeria said it disagrees with the ruling and will file an appeal against it.
The organisation said in a statement: “MultiChoice Nigeria is aware of the recent ruling by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) regarding its jurisdiction to entertain a price regulation matter. We disagree with the ruling, and will therefore file an appeal against said ruling.
“As the matter is currently sub judice, we are restrained from making further comments.”
Enugu State Governnent has partnered a tech firm, African Leadership Accelerator (ALX), to train youths on online tech skills to tackle unemployment and idleness.
The state government and ALX Africa had made it possible for all Enugu State youths to access free-of-charge training on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applicable to all field of human endeavours and jobs.
Speaking further on the partnership on Thursday in Enugu, the state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ekweremadu, said that the partnership was meant to up-skill and upgrade knowledge newly or already acquired by the youths in the state.
Ekweremadu said that the partnership and the benefit it would bring to the state “is part of the employment vision of Gov. Peter Mbah to reduce unemployment in the state by about 70 per cent by 2030”.
According to him, what we set out to achieve is to ensure employability of Enugu State youths both in locally and international labour market, which is highly competitive.
“His Excellence, Gov. Peter Mbah is keen on developing the capacity of youths and creating their capabilities for them to compete at the global world employment market.
“We intend to use technology, tech enhancement and development to drive this process and ensure youths in the state cover up the knowledge and employability gap,” he said.
Ekweremadu said that the state would start with AI training, which will be done for all youths free-of-charge and thereafter other system and software training/courses would be done online at a reduced cost.
He advised youth to take advantage of the trainig, adding the youth ministry was fashioning out ways to tackle the issue of getting a place within the metropolis where youths with challenge of not having power supply, internet connectivity, a laptop, tablets and android phones can participate in the training.
The Country General Manager of ALX Africa, Ms Ruby Igwe, said that the partnership on various tech training would bring modern skill sets closer to the people especially youths that needed tech skills for employment purpose and to create their own start-ups and be employers of labour.
Igwe said that the free-of-charge AI course training would be for youths between the ages of 18 and 35; while it would run for six weeks on online platform of ALX Africa.
She said that participants, who successful undergo the course, would be certified as well as have opportunities to participate in other online courses that would enhance their knowledge and reposition them to a vintage position in the global market and international mobility of labour.
“The curriculum for our courses especially the AI course is from a reputable US school and the same course is runned globally and even locally in some countries in Africa and one or two states in Nigeria. So, it is nothing short of internationally acceptable AI training.
“After the AI Course, other online courses, meant to equip youths with soft and international sellable online skills, will follow in partnership with the state government to ensure we carry hundreds of thousands of youths along and prepare them for the competitive future ahead,” she said.
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