At the public presentation of the winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2016, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited in Abuja on Tuesday, Mohammed said that there was an urgent need to check the piracy of books, films, culture and arts to ensure that the intellectual property of all writers are protected “for the creative development of the economy.”
He stated that the creative industry was one area Nigeria had since stamped its authority with the likes of Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi and Wole Soyinka.
“But over the years, the country had failed to protect the intellectual property of resourcefulness of authors. The greatest resource Nigeria has lies not in her natural resources, but in the resourcefulness of its creative industry.
“No author should die in penury that is why we have to engage the private sector in promoting the creative sector,” he argued
Mohammed commended the NLNG for instituting the prize for literature despite being known as a liquefied gas company.
In his keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Tony Attah disclosed that it has paid over $4 billion as education and corporate income tax between 2014 and 2015 having been recognised as a global LNG company flying the Nigerian flag.
“NLNG has proved that the rightful place for Nigeria and indeed Nigerians remains having the very best, and that is why NLNG instituted the Prize for Science and the Nigerian Prize for Literature to further reinforce the fact that what is good for business must also be good for Nigeria.
“With the support of eminent advisory board and judges, we found a worthy winner and ambassador for 2016 in Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, author of the winning entry, ‘Season of Crimson Blossoms’”, he said
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