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
AY
China Just Executed One Of The Richest Criminals In The World – See it here
In the United States, it’s actually kind of hard to get
executed by the criminal justice system. First off,
the death penalty isn’t even legal in 19 states.
Furthermore, in the states where it is legal, the
death penalty is handed out as a form of
punishment very rarely. And to top it all off, criminals who do actually
receive the death penalty are more likely to die of
natural causes long before their appeals run out.
This is not the case in China. Even if you’re really,
really, really rich.
Earlier today, the Chinese government executed a man named Liu Han who was widely believed to be one of the richest criminals in the world. Prior to his arrest and execution, Liu Han ran an
empire called Sichuan Hanlong Mining Group.
From
the outside, his dealings may have looked liked a
legitimate business operation. But, according to
Chinese prosecutors, this legitimate mask was
nothing more than a front for a violent and corrupt mafia with interests in a wide variety of criminal
activities. Liu Han was arrested last year along with 35
associates in what the state-run news agency
described as the largest criminal gang prosecution
in the history of mainland China. The organization
profited off everything from illegal arms sales, drug
running, murder-for-hire, bribery, espionage, stock manipulation, running illegal casinos, and
loansharking.
According to the South China Morning Post, the
organization generated over $7 billion worth of illegal profits during its reign. When he was
arrested, police discovered a cache of 20 guns,
three hand grenades, 100 knives, 2,100 shotgun
cartridges, and more than 600 bullets in his
mansion. As the gang’s ringleader, Liu Han earned an
enormous illicit fortune and was widely considered
one of the richest criminals in the world. In 2012, a
Chinese anti-corruption organization estimated his
personal net worth to be at least $700 million.
In 2012, he ranked #148 on a Forbes list of
therichest people in China. China isn’t the only country that doesn’t hesitate to
execute someone just because he or she happens
to be very wealthy. Last May, Iran executed a
businessman named Mahafarid Amir Khosravi who
just three years earlier was Iran’s richest citizen
with a net worth north of $1 billion. Meanwhile in America, most millionaire and
billionaire criminals are basically above the law.
I guess that’s a good thing if you’re hoping to be
super wealthy someday. And considering the fact
that you’re reading this website, that’s probably a
fair assumption! But hopefully when you do become a billionaire and are immune from the law,
you will use your powers for good (and invite me
over for mansion parties). (58)
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