Prof. Dorcas Odunaike, a commercial and intellectual property law expert at Babcock University, has called on legislators to strengthen Nigeria’s copyright laws to better protect performers and boost the nation’s creative economy.
Speaking during Babcock University’s 56th inaugural lecture in Ilishan-Remo, she highlighted how rapid technological advances, digital piracy, and deep fake technologies have left significant gaps in the 2022 Copyright Act. Odunaike stressed that updating and enforcing these laws is essential for performers to earn fair economic rewards, which in turn benefits the creative industry and the wider economy.
She noted ongoing challenges in Nigeria, such as piracy, unauthorized use of creative works, and the difficulties of tracking performances in a digital age where content crosses borders easily. With the creative sector contributing about two percent to Nigeria’s GDP and employing over four million people in fields like Nollywood, music, and fashion, the stakes are high.
Odunaike pointed out that while the 2022 Act made progress, performers’ rights still play second fiddle to authors’ rights. She urged clarifications for emerging technologies, stronger enforcement, and more awareness among performers about protecting their intellectual property.
She also called for annual independent reviews of licensing societies to improve transparency and proposed expanding the definition within the law to clearly include digital performances, ensuring artists receive rightful royalties from all platforms.
