The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has called on corporate organisations to invest in the creative sector, to put the country on the global map of creativity and intellectual property, especially in young talents to put the country on the global map of creativity and intellectual property.
The Director-General, NCC, Dr John Asein, made the call in an interview with newsmen at the 2023
National Creative Writing Competition and Prize Giving Ceremony for Secondary School Students in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Asein, that is why it is necessary for corporate organisations to invest in young talent because people put their money where their interests lies.
“For us in NCC, instead of us to bemoan the absence of most corporate organisations in the investment of young talents, we decided to do more to make them see why they should invest in the creative sector and the young ones.
“We have Multi-choice, Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria, Nigerian Publishers Association and Association of Nigerian Authors supporting the initiative.
“We call on corporate organisations to put in more of their resources in the creative sector and in the areas that will nurture and provide manure for young talents to grow.
“This is because, they are the owners of tomorrow; some of us will soon leave the scene, and some of us even in old age will look back and see a dysfunctional Nigeria.
“It will be because we have not invested enough in those that will make Nigeria functional tomorrow. Therefore, all stakeholders and the corporate sector should invest in young talents,” Asein said.
The NCC boss reiterated the need to do more in rewarding more people who are into intellectual exercise, adding that while other creative sectors are doing well, some were being neglected.
He noted that a child that was good at poetry should be rewarded.
“He or she does not have to do things that people will glue their eyes to the television and watch all through the night before he or she can be rewarded.
“A child that writes well should be rewarded and encouraged to write better. So, what I think we should do in Nigeria is to begin to invest in children in whatever talent they have and, or exhibiting.
“Whether it is in spoken word poetry or any creative writing, we should support them. Mind you, we want these children to go to school and one of the features of any school is writing.
“So, if a child does not see that society is encouraging writing, he or she will begin to think there is no future in writing. They don’t have to be like Chinua Achebe or Wole Soyinka
“But they must be helped to grow that stamina to express themselves whether in writing or words. We should let children know that reading has a reward,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2023 National Essay, Poetry and Short Stories Writing Competition attracted different secondary schools from across the country.
