Stakeholders in the sports sector are calling to the federal government to create a National sports industry policy and a law that will protect intellectual property rights in the sector

By Anayo Ezugwu

AS the world marks World Intellectual Property Day, experts in the Nigerian sports industry have called on the federal government to protect intellectual property, IP, in the sector. They said that the sports industry is a major driver of economy if only government can protect and commercialise IP rights in the country.

At an event to commemorate this year’s World Intellectual Property Day in Lagos, Nkechi Obi, managing director, Premium Sports Management Services Limited, said until government begin to see sports as a business rather than a social endeavour, the sector will not develop in the country. She urged the government to create a National Sports Industry Policy that would galvanise private sector involvement.

“There are no products in Nigerian sports as of today. As a result of this, there is no sponsorship in the sector. We must understand that there is a process and without following the process, sports will not grow as a business in the country. There is need for a holistic policy on sports in Nigeria. The government and the investors have a role to play. On the part of the government, they must fight for the IP rights in Nigeria,” she said.

On his part, Felix Awogu, manager, SuperSport West Africa, said there is relationship between sports and television but the sports must be well organised for the television people to come in. He said if the product is not good, some investors, including the television people like SuperSport will not invest their resources.

“The business of sports in Nigeria is very complicated. We must first get the federation to start working as a business enterprise because we have the talents here. We need to address the issues of IP rights of sports personalities as well as our arbitrations rights before the industry can develop,” he said.

For Tunji Brown, managing director, Owu Sportswear, there is no return on investments in Nigerian sports industry. He said when the company started 11 years ago, some clubs in the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL, had only two jerseys to prosecute the season.

But today his company is providing football kits to 25 percent clubs in the NPFL and 50 percent for clubs in the Nigeria National League, NNL. He regretted that football clubs in Nigeria are not building brands. “Despite all the sponsorship we are giving to the clubs, we are not getting enough in returns. The managers of the sports in the country need to learn the business of sports mostly how other countries like South Africa are doing it,” he said.

While Noka Agudah, intellectual property legal counsel, Integral, advised the government to reward talents as a means of encouragement the youths to go into sports. She said protecting the intellectual properties would bring about the needed sponsorship both internationally and locally.

She said government should understand that sports is business and the business cannot thrive without protecting the intellectual property. She noted that intellectual property fuels sports business all over the world. “The Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, need to understand that our jersey and colour are intellectual properties that must be protected. This will reduce counterfeiting products in the sector,” she said.

– Apr. 26, 2019 @ 18:59 GMT |