Broadcasting
NCC, Customs Impound Two Containers of Over 80,000 Pirated Books Worth N80M at Tincan Port
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) have impounded two shipping container-loads of 80, 882 pirated educational books, valued at N80 million, belonging to different publishers.
The imported pirated books were intercepted at the Tincan Port in Lagos during a joint operation by the NCS and NCC.
Speaking at a press briefing during the handing over of the confiscated containers at the Lagos Office of the Commission on May 11, 2021, Dr. John Asein, Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Council stated: The seizure should send a clear message to importers of pirated copyright materials and other copyright predators on the resolve of Government to fight piracy on all platforms using every available legislative, regulatory, administrative and policy initiatives.
He continued: “I assure publishers and other copyright owners of our commitment to this campaign, I also implore stakeholder groups, particularly those of publishers, printers, and booksellers to join hands with the Commission to guarantee safe corridors for their works.
“We are aware that many pirates are taking undue advantage of the zero duty on books as these unscrupulous importers now make false declarations either to evade duty or as cover for smuggling.
“Without jeopardizing Government’s policy on ease of doing business, it might therefore be a good time to address the call from some stakeholders for 100% inspection of consignments of books and stationeries in order to check their illicit imports of into the country.”
The seized pirated books include: Macmillan’s Champion Primary Mathematics Books 3 and 4, Fully Revised Edition, Pearson’s New General Mathematics for Junior Secondary School Students, Books 2 and 3 by M. F. Macrea; Learn Africa’s New Concept English Book 3 for Junior Secondary School (Fourth Edition); Learn Africa’s New Concept English Books 1 and 3 for Senior Secondary School (Fourth Edition) by J. Eyisi, A. Adekunle, B. Adepoju, F. Ademola, Q. Adams and J. Eto; Learn Africa’s Nigeria Primary English Book 1 (Third Edition); as well as Children’s Bible Stories, The Beginner’s Bible Stories, a publication of Specialty Books, New York.
Dr. John O. Asein disclosed that about 30 years ago, the Management of the Commission (then the Nigerian Copyright Council) conceived the National Anti-Piracy Campaign.
In his words, “It was a campaign that drew support from individual right owners, right owners associations, relevant State authorities, the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Customs.
The idea was to harness the collective goodwill, resources and experience of critical stakeholders in tackling what had then been identified as an economic nuisance. Today, the menace of copyright piracy and other abuses have increased significantly into a humongous economic crime and a serious threat to the entire creative industry.”
He added: “It is in light of this that the Nigerian Copyright Commission has, in the last decade, deployed more of its resources to enforcement activities and continues to intensify its anti-piracy operations around piracy hotbeds across the country. This effort has led to the removal of millions of illicit materials –books, software, CDs, DVDs etc. – worth billions of Naira from the channels of commerce, but there is still more ground to conquer.”
The Director-General disclosed further, “Through the combined efforts of NCC and the Nigeria Customs Service, these consignments totaling 80, 882 copies of pirated books belonging to different Nigerian publishers with a market value of over N80 Million, were intercepted at Tincan Port.”
Dr. Asein stated, “Aside from adopting more wholesome business practices, right owners should also embrace proactive business solutions to make it easier for the consuming public and enforcement agencies to identify illicit materials. They should also take advantage of the boarder measure provisions under the Copyright Act and share credible intelligence with the Commission.”
The Director-General reassured right owners, investors and stakeholders across all copyright sectors of Government’s resolve to protect their rights and interest, while promoting congenial business environment to guarantee return on their investments.
“The Commission is committed to strengthening the copyright system for wealth creation, employment generation and ultimately for national economic development as part of a broader Federal Government policy to leverage on the creative and knowledge industry. This is particularly needed in view of the disruptions that have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Copyright piracy remains a real threat to the nation and it must not be allowed to thrive”, he stated.
Speaking during inspection and handing over of the intercepted imported pirated books, the Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Nigeria Customs Service Tincan Port, Mr. B. N. Obiakulusi re-emphasised NCS commitment to the fight against contraband goods, particularly pirated books being imported into the country through the ports.
Mr. Obiakulusi explained, “Before now, people deal in all these books and like the DG said, you could not differentiate between the original and the pirated copies. However, through our collaboration with NCC, we are able to intercept the pirated books.
“I assure you no pirated book will escape our watch. We are working earnestly to make sure we bring all these things to a stop. I commend NCC DG for his efforts at fighting piracy and his staff for their aptness in searching for pirated books”.
More than 100 channels have signed on to broadcast free-to-air digital content under Nigeria’s Digital Switchover (DSO) programme, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition to digital broadcasting.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the development followed the unveiling of FreeTV, a free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) national platform supported by satellite and Internet Protocol (IP) delivery.
According to the commission, the platform offers a broad mix of content targeted at Nigerian households.
It said the channel line-up includes 14 news and current affairs stations, 15 general entertainment channels, six kids and family channels, two lifestyle and talk shows, three music and entertainment channels, one business and finance station, and five movie channels.
The commission added that 57 of the channels are already live and accessible through the FreeTV app and the NigSat satellite platform.
It advised viewers to download the FreeTV application from Google Play Store to access the services.
Director-General of NBC, Charles Ebuebu, said the initiative would improve television access and viewing quality for Nigerians.
“We will deliver digital TV with clearer pictures, more free channels, and opportunities for every family.
“It is one simple change for a better future,” he said.
Ebuebu noted that with over 100 stations onboard and a satellite-led strategy, Nigeria’s digital migration was making significant progress.
The DSO project was launched in 2008 following the Geneva 2006 Agreement (GE06) as part of efforts to modernise the nation’s broadcasting ecosystem.
Its objectives include improving picture and sound quality, freeing up spectrum space for broadband development, and supporting Nigeria’s creative industry.
The commission acknowledged that the project had faced delays despite its official launch in 2016 and an earlier pilot phase in Jos.
It said nationwide implementation had remained slow due to infrastructural and logistical challenges.
According to NBC, a major turnaround came after President Bola Tinubu approved a N10 billion intervention fund in August 2024 to accelerate the project.
The commission said the funding enabled the adoption of a new satellite-first model under a partnership between NBC and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).
The strategy replaces the earlier terrestrial tower-heavy rollout with direct satellite broadcasting using the NigComSat-1R satellite.
“This technological leap is expected to accelerate nationwide rollout by over 65 per cent while avoiding infrastructure bottlenecks,” Ebuebu said.
He added that about 10 million Nigerian households already own satellite-ready televisions or DVB-S2 set-top boxes and can immediately access the channels.
For households without compatible devices, NBC said hybrid set-top boxes combining satellite reception and internet streaming would be introduced.
The commission added that the DSO initiative would also support local content creation, with 40 per cent of channel slots allocated to independent and regional producers.
It said plans were also underway for local production of five million set-top boxes annually, a move expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs.
Music streaming platform Spotify has introduced a new verification system, “Verified by Spotify,” to help users identify authentic human artists and distinguish them from AI-generated music content.
Spotify
The company disclosed that the new verification badge, represented by a green checkmark on artist profiles and search results, would be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Spotify said only artists who meet specific authenticity requirements would qualify for verification.
According to the company, eligibility criteria include consistent listener engagement, compliance with platform policies, and proof of an active presence beyond the platform, such as live performances or verified social media activity.
“In the AI era, it is more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to,” Spotify said in a statement.
The company added that more than 99 per cent of artists actively searched by users are expected to be verified at launch, covering hundreds of thousands of musicians across multiple genres and regions.
Spotify’s move comes amid a rapid rise in AI-generated music on streaming services.
Music platform Deezer recently reported that approximately 44 per cent of daily uploads on its platform are fully AI-generated, while Apple Music has also recorded growing uploads created using artificial intelligence tools.
Spotify stated that profiles primarily dedicated to AI-generated music or virtual personas would not be eligible for the verification badge.
The company said the policy forms part of broader efforts to improve transparency and build user trust on the platform.
In addition to the verification badge, Spotify is also rolling out expanded profile details for all artists, including release history, touring activity, and career milestones.
The company described the feature as similar to “nutrition facts” for music, offering listeners clearer insight into an artist’s background and credibility.
Spotify noted that the initiative is part of wider measures to address growing concerns around AI in the music industry, including impersonation, spam uploads, and reduced visibility for human creators.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have jointly sued the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over what they described as an “arbitrary, unconstitutional, and unlawful” threat to sanction broadcast stations and presenters.
The development was disclosed in a Sunday statement signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director, and Onuoha Ukeh, general secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
According to the statement, SERAP and NGE challenged a recent directive by NBC, warning presenters and journalists against “expressing personal opinions as facts,” “bullying or intimidating guests,” and failing to maintain neutrality.
The statement reads, “SERAP and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have filed a lawsuit against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over the arbitrary, unconstitutional, and unlawful ‘Formal Notice’, which threatens to sanction broadcast stations and presenters for allegedly ‘expressing personal opinions as facts, bullying or intimidating guests, or failing to maintain neutrality.’
“The NBC had recently threatened to sanction broadcast stations and presenters who ‘express personal opinions as facts’ or ‘bully and intimidate guests,’ claiming it had ‘identified a sustained increase in breaches of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code across news, current affairs, and political programmes.’”
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/854/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos State, SERAP and NGE asked the court to determine whether the various provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code relied upon by the NBC in the directive are inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations.
According to the statement, the groups disclosed that Femi Falana (SAN), human rights lawyer, would lead a team of senior lawyers to represent SERAP and NGE in the lawsuit.
SERAP and NGE asked the court to declare that the provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code used by the NBC are vague and constitute a fundamental breach of press freedom guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards.
The statement added, “SERAP and NGE are asking the court for a declaration that the provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code used by the NBC are vague and overly broad and constitute a fundamental breach of freedom of expression and media freedom guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards.”
The groups also sought an interim injunction to restrain the NBC, its agents and other authorities from imposing sanctions on broadcast stations and presenters based on what they described as “unlawful provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code”, pending the hearing and determination of the motion.
“SERAP and NGE are also seeking an order of interim injunction restraining the NBC, its agents or privies, whether jointly or severally or any other authority, from imposing sanctions on broadcast stations and presenters based on the patently unlawful provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed simultaneously in this suit,” the statement concluded.
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