2016 World Book and Copyright Day

2016 WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY: PLAGIARISM ON MY MIND

    Today Saturday April 23, the world over is commemorating the World Book and Copyright Day. It was on this day – April 23 in the year 1616 that some prominent authors including Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso Vega left the world; it is also the date of birth or death of other global literary icons like Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.  

     It was a natural choice for the General Conference of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in Paris in 1995, to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors on this date in order to encourage everyone, particularly young people, to discover the pleasure of reading as well as gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. In this regard, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day.

     A book is a collection of pieces of paper comprising a set of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets made of ink, parchment and other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. In the same vein, copyright can be defined as the legal prerogative of ownership and exclusive distribution of any creative work such as article, book, music or movie originally done by a person or a group of persons.

     On the other hand, plagiarism is the illicit practice of using or copying someone else’s idea or creative work and the impersonation of its ownership. In other words, plagiarism is an unauthorized and unlawful faking or imitation of thoughts or works that are already legally credited to a person or group. Suffice to say; plagiarism, which is popularly known as piracy, is a criminal act that is punishable by law.

     A book could be majorly classified into two namely, academic and literary. An academic book is one that is written on a certain subject or about a particular area whilst a literary book is mainly a creative work that is written with the knowledge of literature. Irrespective of its class, just as anything under the sun can be identified by one or two idiosyncrasies, the unique or basic features of any book include the content, authorship, the ISBN, its title and cover page, among others.

     No doubt, every book has a unique content regardless of its size or number of pages. Likewise a movie or music, a book may go beyond a particular edition or version, hence can transcend to additional two or more editions based on the choice of the author or the kind of message intended to be conveyed by it. The content of any book is expected to be original; in the sense that, it must be the initiative of the acclaimed author/writer.

     Also, any book must be authored by one or two persons and as long as the book lasts, the specified author(s) remain the rightful owner of the intellectual property. Needless to say; no part of such publication would be reproduced or translated to any other language, or even transmitted in any form or by any means without the authorization or written permission of the author or publisher as the case might be.

     The International Serial Book Number (ISBN) is another unique feature or mode of identification of any book. The ISBN of a published compilation, which is widely regarded as its individual identification number, is the only globally recognized means of identifying a text-filled book. Thus, any published book is entitled to a certain ISBN which will never be allocated or assigned to any other publication across the globe. Even if the book in question is expected to have a subsequent edition/version in future, each of the additional editions, when published, would be entitled to different ISBNs.

     Furthermore, the title and the cover page of a book speak volumes as regards its identification; though in some cases, like in the movie or music sector, two books authored by different writers might coincidentally comprised of the same or similar title. In a situation of coincidence of titles or where two/more publications of different authors comprise the same title, the books involved would be contrasted by the names of the respective authors. 

     Apart from other features of a book, it is noteworthy that, its title and cover page are the major recipes that attract the target audience, especially in a situation where the name of the author is relatively new in the system. This is the reason most notable authors pay much attention while creating a title for their works. Due to the significance or delicacy attached to titling of a book or any creative work, sometimes the title of a work in progress may be yet to be created by the author/inventor until the work is duly completed.

     Taking a painstaking consideration of the aforementioned features of a book, there is no gain reiterating the fact that book publication is all about creativity. Surely, it is obvious that every aspect of book compilation coupled with its publication cum printing thoroughly deals with originality which is the basic element of any creative work.

     Apparently, the societal impact of a book cannot be overemphasized. It is through a book that a literate society is formed; it is through a book that an awaited civilized society is actualized; through a book, an intellectual group can be created; of course through a book, the socio-economic level of a nation can be uplifted or boosted; it is through a book that a nation can actualized its utmost desire; and  it is through a book that a leader can be made; above all, it is a book that can guarantee optimum peace and unity in any society.

     This is why those who are widely read such as the likes of late Marcus Tullius Cicero and Jane Austen would always tell you that “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Or that “A person, be it gentleman or lady, who has no pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.” It was the late Jorge Luis Borges that said “I have always imagined that paradise would be a kind of library.” In the same vein, Lemony Snicket stated “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”

     Considering the indelible role of a book in any society, there is need to fiercely safeguard the copyright of a book or any other creative work such as music or movie. Against this backdrop, as the world commemorates the World Book and Copyright Day, I enjoin every group in Nigeria concerning authorship such as the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigerian Literacy Society (NLS), and many others to join in the crusade towards the complete eradication of plagiarism which has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society.

     The production of fake works which is on the rampage in Nigeria is solely attributed to the ongoing alarming pace of plagiarism. It is longer news that plagiarism has indeed endangered the wellbeing of millions of creative persons across the globe thereby constituting apathy among prospective writers or artistes as the case may be. This singular fact is the reason many incoming/potential creative individuals have chosen to remain idle rather than embarking on a venture that would end-up being futile and worthless.  

     So, as the global community marks the World Book and Copyright Day, the ANA and other indigenous authorship associations are expected to form a synergy with other related societies such as the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) with a view to fighting the scourge squarely. In view of this, the concerned groups ought to carry out a holistic campaign towards conscientizing the legislators to enact a strict law that would assign capital punishment to anyone found guilty of any form of piracy by any court of competent jurisdiction. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

Nigeria's Intriguing Borrowing Tradition

NIGERIA AND HER INTRIGUING BORROWING TRADITION

    Last time I checked, the 2016 appropriation bill that was tendered to a joint session of the National Assembly few months ago, precisely on Tuesday December 22, 2015 by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ably led by President Mohammadu Buhari had been duly passed unanimously by the law makers. As regards the content of the bill, #6.06 trillion was reportedly passed as the country’s 2016 budget contrary to the proposed #6.08 trillion, which implies that about #20 billion was tagged as frivolous by the legislators.

    It’s noteworthy that the said approved bill has it that the projects to be executed in Nigeria in the ongoing fiscal year would be financed by the foreseen assistance of both local and international loans yet to be sought, albeit mainly local borrowing, having estimated the expected oil benchmark for the year among other sources of the finance.

    It’s pertinent to acknowledge that governments in rich as well as poor nations borrow money from such domestic and international markets as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and commercial banks. In rich nations, government borrowing obviously stimulates the private economy; it creates jobs and raises incomes of the majority of the population of the affected nation thereby improving their standard of living.

    However, in poor or developing nations, government borrowing does not generally produce the same results or the required effect. In Nigeria, for instance, for decades now, the government incessantly enjoys domestic and international borrowing but pathetically such gesture hasn’t stimulated the private economy as anticipated. To say the least, the role of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country’s economy has not been significant.

    Between 2009 and 2015 alone, the government engaged tremendously in international borrowing. This gesture was reflected in the country’s balance of payments deficits. In spite of the enormous borrowing by the government, grants received out of benevolence, and debts rescheduled as well as forgiven, the nominal income per capita hasn’t shown any significant improvement. The country average income per capita on a monthly basis for the recent years was about USD130 dollars or thereabouts which was far below the $500 average income for the poorest African countries. And presently, pitiably, the country cannot boast of up to USD80 dollars as its monthly average income per capita.

    Conspicuously, Nigeria has recently faced an unprecedented population growth. Although the population is increasing at an alarming pace, its purchasing power is not. Such phenomenon has two cogent and inevitable effects on the economy. The first is that the rapid increase in population impoverishes the country as a whole, hence making the accumulation of capital very difficult. Secondly, the low purchasing power limits the internal market.

    The major economic plight in a country like ours remains that the government has not been accountable to the people. Thus, it can borrow as it pleases, and the unsuspecting electorate would still foot the bills. We must acknowledge that the government will continue to borrow as long as there are interested lenders provided the fiscal policies of the country remain docile; this is why suchlike policies are seriously yearning for restructuring.

    Besides, there’s enormous politics involved in international lending. Though the Nigeria’s government can invariably find its way as regards assessing loans from either official or unofficial sources via the use of its international connections or immunity, but for how long shall we continue to depend on external borrowing? This, among other paramount questions, is required to be raised by any one or analyst who truly thinks good of this country.

    It would be recalled that during 1966-1974, or thereabouts, developing nations were growing at a high rate simply because they were yet to be involved in external borrowing or importation of goods and services. In view of this, their annual average growth rate stood at 7%. But in order to meet their subsequent population growth needs, many of them began to import heavily, particularly capital goods, oil and foods; funnily enough, they are mostly involved in export-oriented strategy as it’s presently witnessed in Nigeria in the oil sector.

    It’s not anymore news that the borrowing, especially external borrowing, that is captured in the 2016 budget, which is not unusual in the Nigeria’s budgeting pattern, has been generating a lot of ripples and mixed feelings in various quarters thereby making several Nigerian analysts as well as social commentators, both home and abroad, to be involved in series of fallacious arguments, probably owing to partisanship, incompetence, quackery, unpatriotism, ignorance, or what have you, as the case may be.

    It’s amusing and perhaps very awful to realize that sometimes most Nigerians play politics with issues of national interest, particularly very sensitive economic matters. We are not unaware that borrowing is necessary, but it ought not to be seen or adopted as a measure that needs to be taken if a country must survive or grow. Such economic approach becomes consequential only in certain circumstances, and not in all, as being presumed in various quarters. Even as an individual, if you dare take borrowing as a tradition or norm, you will surely live to regret it. We, either as individual or group, need to borrow sometimes but not always.

    Of course, many are of the view that provided you are borrowing for a tangible project, it’s a welcome development. No doubt, borrowing becomes paramount and necessary only when the prospective borrower intends to use it for feasible projects such as capital expenditure. Ab initio, Nigeria has been borrowing for tangible reasons, but as a result of corruption, rather than doing the needful or investing the borrowed funds meaningfully, she invariably ends up doing otherwise. So, if we fail to address such lapse, the nauseous phenomenon would continue to repeat itself thereby making us indulge in borrowing perpetually.

    On a yearly basis, Nigeria’s international debt increases colossally, thus affecting negatively her current account balance which is expected to rise steadily. Survey indicates that external debt in Nigeria averaged USD6.38 billion from 2008 till 2015 when it reached an all time high of USD56.74 billion in the fourth or last quarter of the said fiscal year which was about 10.9% of her GDP for that very year, though it recorded a low of about USD3.63 billion in the first quarter of 2009. Worse still, a large portion of these debts are owed to private lenders at variable interest rates.

    Rather than being preoccupied with how to repay the backlog of debts, the government keeps borrowing at the expense of our dearest economy. Nigeria has apparently absorbed incessant borrowing as a tradition. Having acknowledged that it isn’t a wholesome belief, there’s a compelling need to put up stiff measures towards addressing the monumental anomaly. Against this backdrop, let’s briefly take a tour to the history book; the IMF then imposed its Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) conditionality on the deficit countries, which Nigeria was inclusive, to force them to take necessary steps toward reducing their payments deficits and consequently earn sufficient foreign exchange to enable them pay back their loans.

    Hence, they had to devalue their official exchange rates, abolish or liberalize foreign exchange controls, introduce anti-inflationary programmes as well as adopt a free trade policy. Notwithstanding, the ‘almighty’ SAP didn’t produce any successful result, rather it ended up constituting more problems, perhaps still due to corruption. Now, the question is: how can Nigeria escape from this lingering debt trap as well as desist from her unending borrowing tradition?

    The answer is simple. We need to embark on an economic lobotomy; the Mohammadu Buhari led administration has to shift course from an internationally-dependent growth to domestically-based economic development plan. To this end, it has to strengthen most of the country’s fiscal policies, participate in frugal expenditure, initiate deflationary economic measures, detest construction of white-elephant projects, and most importantly tackle the unbridled corruption as well as security challenges with the last drop of its blood.

    We must understand that growth can be self-generated by focusing on products commonly consumed by the low-income citizens. Even a little improvement in the productivity and income in such quarter will capture a sizeable market and assist in sustaining development of other products and markets. Therefore, instead of embarking on massive infrastructural projects, the government ought to start with improving such capital-oriented projects that make production cost-effective as road cum railway network, power cum water supply, and refineries.

    So, acknowledging that borrowing is only regarded as a healthy practice when the borrowed funds are utilized judiciously and selflessly, it’s needless to reiterate that we must invest meaningfully and wisely to reap heavily and successfully. Think about it!

 

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

Twitter: @mediambassador 

     

Memo to Govt Functionaries

MEMO TO NIGERIA’S GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONARIES

    Last time I thoroughly checked, various unguided and ungracious lifestyles were peculiar to most Nigerian government functionaries that it required only realists towards its holistic eradication. Of course, it’s only a realist that would unequivocally tell a fellow that what he or she did was uncalled for.

    It’s obvious that in several quarters across the federation, you would easily notice a government public office holder showcasing a lifestyle related to ego, deceit, hypocrisy, sycophancy, and what have you. If those we look up to invariably hide under the aforementioned nauseous idiosyncrasies, then it significantly implies that ushering in the awaited good governance would remain far-fetched.

    Give me one tangible reason someone who seems not to possess a conscience wouldn’t make attainment to governance seem not unlike a mere mirage, rather than reality. Frankly, it’s high time we started acknowledging that some factors remain a hindrance towards attaining a certain anticipated height.

    Taking a painstaking study of the contemporary Nigeria’s political arena, one needn’t be told that some, if not most, of our so-called government functionaries aren’t living up to the expectation, both socially and otherwise. For instance, one would invite you over for a meeting and consequently on the scheduled meeting day, you being the invitee would spend the whole day in the intended host’s office without enjoying even a second attention from him/her.

     And subsequently, the supposed host wouldn’t even care to tender an unalloyed apology for the inconvenience caused you, let alone making out time to reschedule the appointment for a future date with a view to making it up to you. Isn’t it humiliating? Most worrisomely, it could be that you left a different state for that very state where the proposed meeting was meant to take place, all to no avail; suffice it to say that, in spite of the enormous sacrifice put in place toward the said appointment, everything ended up a shambles.

    This, among other pertinent issues, is a common feature observed in several public officers, particularly government functionaries, in Nigeria. We are not unaware of contingencies; we’re also aware of ‘man proposes, God disposes’, but what we need to note is that there’s need for us to be extremely conscious and mindful of our actions towards others.

    I keep reiterating that ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean that you were wrong; rather, it simply means you cherish or adore the relationship far more than your ego. It’s very amusing to observe that most persons are of the opinion that if one says ‘I’m sorry’, it automatically ridicules or diminishes his/her status. That’s indeed a fallacious notion.

    People ought to learn to lead well. We’re no doubt deeply expected to lead by example. Never you take your subjects, followers, relatives, friends, or fans, as the case may be, for granted. It isn’t all about being an institutional leader or occupying a leadership position; if you are a public figure or a well respected individual in the society, definitely thousands of people are following or looking up to you, hence you are automatically a leader.

    Let’s endeavour to do the right thing at all times even when we are sleeping or deeply snoring. Don’t promise people ‘A’ but at the long run you end up doing ‘B’. Mind you; if you dare renege on your promise or pledge, the consequences await your person come rain come shine. There are no two ways about it. Thus, the choice is yours.

    I’ve noticed that some of these officers act out of influence. The moment they secure the position either via appointment or election, they would allow themselves to be negatively influenced by their colleagues who come from mediocre backgrounds. It’s really quite appalling and pathetic. We should learn to be ourselves; don’t change because you noticed that others have changed. It’s indisputable that change is constant or that human beings are naturally dynamic, but that doesn’t imply we ought to change to anything.

    Inter alia, don’t deceive yourself. I’ve equally observed that we often deceive ourselves, perhaps owing to ignorance, lack of courage, fear of the unknown, and myopia, among others. Yes, many of us are myopic in nature; we’re unable to see beyond the crossed line or our immediate surroundings. To this end, I implore us to always employ a panoramic view in whatever we do or anywhere we find ourselves. Self-deceit has been proven to be one of the greatest shortcomings any man would possess or parade.

    In other words, we must endeavour to tell ourselves nothing but the truth at all times and at all cost. Detest ego because it destroys one so easily just as an earthquake would. Desist from deceit because it maims, and kills too. Above all, kick against hypocrisy and sycophancy with the last drop of your blood because they remain unthinkable societal monsters regardless of the circumstance.

    Beloved, be wise. Do not allow power, affluence, or a certain position you find yourself to becloud your sense of reasoning. One day, the position will surely depart leaving you behind; and at that stage or moment, you may not be able to cope with what life entails. Think about it!  

 

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

Twitter: @mediambassador