Skip to main content

Patent goldmine or Economic Thalidomide? The viable option out of recession

Buhari

Buhari

This is a question for the government of the day. Why do we have a legacy of $150 billion and still swim in depth and dirt of economic recession? While we have a goldmine to tap into, we keep on swallowing the economic thalidomide pill of borrowing which has proven to be our undoing for many years now.

Our dependency on oil revenues have blinded our successive governments to opportunities and our affinity to borrowing is pathetic. In the past 15 years, we have been borrowing to pay salaries without care for infrastructural development. A renewed attempt by the presidency to borrow another $30 billion is an economic thalidomide that we were able to avoid.

Property Rights in Nigeria is a viable way out of recession into prosperity. We must not forget how America got so rich with property rights. The American government benefited from a quick setup of the patent office. Intellectual property like patents, copyrights, and royalties makes it possible for people to profit from their creations. American professional class of actors, artists, writers, musicians and specifically Bill Gates riches won’t exist without intellectual property.

A society ruled by laws protects property. Property rights were the secret to America’s success. When citizens are assured and confident of the protection of the government when someone tries to take their property from them, then they work very hard to earn and invent. This leads to prosperity.

Why would I work hard, invent and give my all to make a difference when it can be taken from me without a government to protect her interest? Nigeria today can boast of Patent RP 13522, an invention called Anti-Corrosive Special Paint and worth over $150 billion. It is used by many oil multinationals to curb the menace of pipeline and equipment corrosion.

The Patent owned by a Nigerian company can end our economic woes and bring about massive infrastructural development. It will bring into our foreign reserve over $47 billion in less than 90 days with a potential of $150 billion before year 2019 should the government taps into it.

The refusal of users and infringers to pay up the Patent royalties can be attributed to the failure of our 3 arms of government to be patriotic especially now that our failing economy needs the royalties for survival.

The Patent Goldmine or Economic Thalidomide?

Rather than take the same economic thalidomide of borrowing that has been our undoing in recent years, the government of the day will do Nigerians a lot of good by reaching out to the management of Comandclem Nigeria Limited and our infringing oil multinationals for a round table talk over payment of $47 billion royalty overdue.

Such patriotic gesture is what we need to get out of recession in the shortest possible time. At the moment, it is our most viable option.

Chief Ken is an Advocacy Officer in Comandclem Nigeria Limited
07035052057

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...