Dr John Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has reinforced the necessity for every Nigerian university to adopt an Intellectual Property (IP) policy, describing it as essential to unlocking their full creative and innovative potential.
In a statement delivered by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Ijeoma Egbunike, Asein emphasised this need while presenting a revised Model IP Policy to the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) in Abuja.
The Model Policy, first developed by the NCC in collaboration with the CVCNU in 2021, was updated to promote wider adoption among universities.
Thanking Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the immediate past Secretary-General of the CVCNU, for his support, Asein noted that the collaborative effort aimed to “promote the sustainable use and effective management of IP in Nigerian universities.”
He further highlighted that institutions of higher learning should introduce students and faculty to the fundamentals of intellectual property to “make Nigerian universities competitive globally” by aligning with international standards.
Additionally, he pledged the Commission’s support in guiding universities through the development and implementation of their IP policies.
“The Commission will work with other agencies, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), to begin the intellectual property ranking of universities and celebrate those that excel in the respect, generation, use, and commercialisation of IP,” Asein said, expressing optimism that this ranking could motivate universities to cultivate a stronger IP culture.
Asein also urged universities to integrate the WIPO Distance Learning 101 course on IP, which is available online for free, into their General Studies curricula to equip students with essential IP knowledge applicable across their disciplines.
Receiving copies of the revised Model IP Policy, Prof. Lilian Salami, CVCNU Chairman and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, commended the NCC-CVCNU collaboration. Salami reaffirmed CVCNU’s dedication to working with the Commission to “promote better IP culture in universities.”
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