The British Council has announced the selection of a Nigerian Entertainment Lawyer, Rockson Igelige, as a finalist in its Social Action category of the Study UK Alumni Award 2021-22 edition.
The Study UK Alumni Awards are open to alumni living anywhere outside the UK. Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, industries and countries.
According to the British Council in a letter to Igelige, the award ceremony, which is a face-to-face exclusive event, will hold on Saturday 26th February, 2022, at the Grand Ballroom, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The letter reads: “We are delighted to let you know that you have been selected as a finalist for the Social Action award category in Nigeria – congratulations!
“We have made arrangements for a face-to-face award ceremony. This is an exclusive event where we will be celebrating the achievements of all finalists with our high-profile guests and announcing the award winners of each award category.
“We will send your official invitation by email shortly, for you and a plus one guest. Your UK university supports your application and will also be invited to send a representative to the ceremony.”
In his story of impact to the British Council, Igelige, who had his Masters in Entertainment Law at the Westminster University, said he took up the challenge of finding ways of reducing the scourge of piracy in the entertainment industry when he returned to Nigeria.
He said outside launching an award winning nongovernmental organisation, Friends of the Creators Artistic Foundation (FCF), to protect and promote Intellectual Property (IP), his law firm made history in 2015 after dragging MTN to Court for copyright infringement of musical works of Omenuwoma Dovie.
He added that amongst other things, a record breaking N50 million compensation was paid by the company to the artist.
“Artistes and innovators rarely benefit from their hard labour. This clog poses huge threat, not only to the survival and growth of the creative industry, but to national development as well.
“Decrying this challenge, the Nigerian Copyright Commission lamented in July, 2019 that Nigeria is losing over N1trillion to piracy. It was against this background that upon returning from my study in Westminster in 2012, armed with the wealth of experience in Law I garnered from the institution, I took up the challenge of finding ways of reducing this scourge in Nigeria.
“To achieve my dream, I co-founded an NGO, Friends of the Creators Artistic Foundation (FCF), the first of its kind. The NGO, which protects and promotes works of creators and innovators, has been organizing World Intellectual Property Day in Nigeria consecutively since (2017 – 2019).
“This is fast raising awareness on Copyright, patent and trademark across the country. The NGO won the ‘Best Intellectual Property and Creativity Foundation of the Year 2018’ Award in Nigeria. The NGO has recently been accorded the Permanent Observer status by the World Intellectual Property Organization, an agency of United Nation,” Igelige said.
He further stated that his firm also sued ‘The Sun’ newspaper for abusing the copyright of Temitope Akinyemi’s photo.
Meanwhile, while congratulating him, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Lilian Salami said the experience of studying Theatre Arts as a first degree at the University had propelled and contributed to Igelige’s specialization as an Entertainment lawyer.
“Indeed, as a graduate of the University of Benin where students are moulded in outstanding character and learning, your success and recognition in all areas of your endeavours cannot be separated from the excellent professional knowledge, leadership ability and good character that you acquired from the University of Benin and have continued to display in line with the University motto, Knowledge for Service.
“The University of Benin is hopeful that this distinguished recognition and award will open more vistas of opportunities to you for increased contribution to the growth and development of your alma maters, Nigeria and the society at large,” she said.
