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MIKE DADA ELECTED 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT OF PACC5 BUREAU

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President and Executive Producer of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, was part of Art and Cultural experts invited to the 5th African Union Pan-African Cultural Congress (PACC5) held at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from September 5 to 7, 2018. PACC is a platform for Pan-African Cultural Institutions and Civil Society Organizations working on the arts, culture, and heritage field to provide their contributions to the policy making process of the African Union, AU.

Mike Dada, drawing from his experience and knowledge in destination Marketing, Perception Management, Media and Law presented a paper with the theme “Advancing the African Union Agenda 2063 through African Culture and Creative Economy” aimed at sharing best practices for the promotion of the AU Agenda 2063, shared practical knowledge on actions AFRIMA employs in showcasing great potentials and values of the African musical and artistic heritage, while also promoting the positive image of Africa to the world for global competitiveness.

Mr. Mike Dada was also elected 2nd Vice President of the PACC Bureau, a position which will be occupied for 3years, and subject to the PACC objective of proposing policies towards the contribution of culture and arts in the development of the continent. Also elected into the PACC5 Bureau were Chairperson, Mr. Daves Guzha – President of Arterial Network; 1st Vice Chairperson, Prof. Lupwishi Mbuyamba – Executive Director of OCPA; Member, Dr. Vuningoma James – Executive Secretary, Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture; Member, Mrs Florence Mukanga Majachani – Cultural Policy Consultant and Research.

The State Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ethiopia, H.E. Mrs. Bezunesh Meseret welcomed delegates to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The event was well attended by cultural/professional experts, practitioners, and civil society organizations in the arts and culture sector of the economy, where various ideas and experiences were shared towards harnessing African cultural diversity and its cultural identity for Wealth Creation, Youth Employability, African Unity, and Global Peace.

Former Cultural Director of Rockefeller and the Ford Foundations, Dr. Damien Pwono, one of the speakers, in his keynote address on Cultural Diplomacy, commended the President/Executive Producer of AFRIMA for the immense effort of AFRIMA at showcasing the potentials of Africa through its creative industry. He said. “AFRIMA is doing a great job at promoting African culture using its arts, talents, and music, it provides a platform that popularizes the dynamism in our culture, thereby creating a sustainable competitive creative economy.”

In its effort to promote the AU agenda 2063, which is to garner strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years, the 5th African Union Pan-African Cultural Congress enables creative and cultural experts, researchers, creators/producers of culture, policymakers and cultural promoters to come share ideas, tackle challenges, and formulate best practices towards programmes in Africa in the area of cultural and creative economy and development.

In partnership with the African Union, the All Africa Music Awards is a music property that recognises and rewards the work and talent of a myriad of African artists from the old to the new generation of musicians. Through its conference, AFRIMA also stimulates conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the world about the potential of the creative arts for real humanising enterprise on the continent, contributing significantly to social cohesion, national, regional and continental integration as well as sustainable development in Africa. The award show is usually broadcast to over eighty countries around the world.

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IBEDC records 1,459 energy theft cases in January, February

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The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company said it has recorded 1,459 cases of energy theft by its subscribers between January and February 2024.

This was disclosed in a press statement signed by the firm’s Chief Key Accounts Officer, Mr. Johnson Tinuoye, on Tuesday.

IBEDC added that it is actively pursuing investigations and legal actions against individuals and businesses involved in the theft in collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences.

Identifying the cases, IBEDC said they included various offences such as meter bypass and illegal meter tampering, which resulted in significant financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for the company.

The statement read, “We want to send a clear message to our customers that energy theft will not be tolerated. Our collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences underscores our commitment to ensuring a fair and just electricity distribution system.

“Energy theft not only undermines the integrity of our operations but also deprives IBEDC of the revenue necessary to provide quality services to our customers.”

Tinuoye emphasised that under the Electricity Act, energy theft is now recognised as a criminal offense, carrying severe penalties including imprisonment stressing, “In the Osun region, two individuals were apprehended for stealing energy through meter bypass and illegal connections. Their cases have been formally charged in court for prosecution.”

IBEDC further urged customers to refrain from engaging in any form of energy theft, emphasising that the consequences can be severe, as there is no room for negotiation with the SIPTEO Task Force team, which is actively patrolling and investigating instances of energy theft for prosecution.

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Copyright Breach: NCC Drags MTN, Others To Court Over Musician’s Works

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The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has filed criminal charges against MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd. and four others over alleged copyright infringement.

The charge with number FHC/ABJ/CR/111/2024 filed in the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court was obtained by journalists on Monday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the four other defendants in the case include the chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola; Nkeakam Abhulimen, Fun Mobile Ltd.; and Yahaya Maibe.

In the three-count charge, NCC alleged that the defendants, between 2010 and 2017, “offered for sale, sold and traded for business’’, infringed the musical works of an artiste, Maleke Idowu Moye, without his consent and authorisation.

The commission alleged that the defendants used musical works and sound recordings of Mr Maleke with subsisting copyright as caller ringback tunes without the authorisation of the artiste.

The musician’s musical works and sound recordings allegedly infringed upon included 911, Minimini-wanawana, Stop Racism, Ewole, 911 instrumental, Radio, Low Waist, and No Bother.

The defendants were also alleged to have distributed the musical works to their subscribers without authorisation, thereby infringing on the rights of the artiste.

In the third count, the defendants were alleged to have in their possession, other than for their private or domestic use, the artiste’s musical works and sound recordings.

According to NCC, the alleged offences are contrary to and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) (b) and (c) of the Copyright Act, Cap. C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The case has yet to be assigned to any judge, and no date has been fixed for the mention.

Meanwhile, no official statement has been released by any of the defendants as at the time of filing this report, while all efforts to get reactions from MTN by New Telegraph proved abortive.

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LASG, LCC ANNOUNCE REOPENING OF LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTRE AFTER REPAIRS

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Following the completion of extensive routine maintenance works on the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), the Lagos State Government and the Management of the Centre have announced that the Walkway will be reopened for public use with effect from Friday, 29th March 2024.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe confirmed this on Friday during a visit to the Centre in Lekki alongside some officials of the Ministry.

Aregbe said that he was happy to see that all repairs and renovations on the facility, including the Walkway, have been completed and would be accessible for tourism during the Easter celebration.

The Special Adviser appreciated Lagosians and tourists across the world for their patience during the thorough maintenance works carried out at the Centre in Lekki.

The Director-General of the Centre, Prof Mathew Onoja also appreciated the State Government for its intervention following the viral video, which first circulated in December as well as the swift response and efforts towards making the repairs and renovations seamless.

He noted that the Centre being a major tourism asset in Lagos State has played host to tourists from all over the world as it offers a serene environment for nature tourism and also boasts of the longest canopy walkway in Africa.

Recall that the facility has been undergoing routine maintenance since January following apprehensions arising from the damaged section of the Canopy Walkway, which had been repaired before the viral video was posted on social media platforms.

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