On Saturday 11th of June 2016, the Anti Counterfeiting Coalition (ACC) of Nigeria of which Sproxil is a member was invited to speak at the NTA Morning Ride Show which was broadcasted on NTA 2 Channel 5. The nature of the interview for the show was to discuss the World Anti Counterfeiting day that was marked on 8th of June and discuss the activities of the ACC in Nigeria. On the panel we had Nigerian influential flutist Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, Senior associate at Aluko & Oyebode Nta Ekpiken and Digital Media Specialist at Sproxil Atim Ukoh as representatives of ACC.Questions about the mission of ACC in Nigeria, progress made so far and some of the challenges faced where addressed by Nta Ekpiken. Tee Mac spoke about the issue of counterfeiting in the entertainment industry and solutions that have been put in place to combat the “alaba boys” who are notorious for counterfeiting in the entertainment industry. He discussed a solution that has been implemented to fight this issue. When you buy a CD, you can text a USSD code “*anumber#” to verify if the CD is authentic or fake. The presenter mentioned that the solution was similar to what Sproxil was doing with drugs which Atim addressed and mentioned that Sproxil indeed started with drugs and has branched into other industries that are facing counterfeiting issues and also partnerships like the ACC are great for strengthening enforcement in Nigeria.
We also discussed the bill that had gone through a second reading at the senate for capital punishment of counterfeiting offenders. ACC mentioned that they had proposed life imprisonment as the capital punishment was too barbaric but the offenders need to still face the consequences for their actions as a lesson to others.
The show rounded up with Tee Mac giving the audience a little session on his flute. Pictures were taken afterwards and the program was broadcasted nationwide and even internationally for audiences that have access to NTA on their satellite stations. The message on anti counterfeiting was shared so people can know what is being done about it and if your organization is facing this same issue, be sure to connect with us and we can offer a solution to help you combat it.
