Ogun State Government has resolved to enact a law that will keep the activities of the ‘Chinese Adire fabric’ manufacturers under check, so as to maintain the quality of the original local Adire fabric and protect it from undue competition and proliferation by imitators
The State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Sesan Fagbayi who revealed this in Abeokuta while playing host to the Olu of Orile-Ilawo, Oba (Prof.) Olusegun Magregor and his team, warned anyone found imitating Adire would be made to pay royalty fees.
‘’The Ministry is looking into protecting the intellectual property of the Adire fabric, as well as ready to establish a law that will ensure that imitators of the fabric pay stipulated fees into the coffers of the State government’’, he stated
Fagbayi disclosed that the Ministry was prepared to collaborate with the State Government and the Ilawo community to ensure its success, hence the inclusion of its staff into the festival committee coming up later in the year.
Earlier in his presentation, the Olu of Orile-Ilawo, Oba Prof. Magregor stated that there was an urgent need for an enforcement law that would prohibit the sales of the counterfeit Adire, popularly called 'Chinese Adire' and also refrain sellers and buyers from referring to it as Adire.
His words, "It is because it is still being called Adire, that is why people are still patronising it, even if the Chinese have to produce the pattern and refer to it as that, it is important to enforce the payment of the royalty and trademark royalty for the designers".
The Monarch added that the essence of the visit was also to inform the Ministry of the forthcoming 3-day collaboration festival between the State government, the Ministry and the Orile-Ilawo town.
He disclosed further that the 3-day event is a wide festival that would involve traditional music, food, adire clothing and the highlight, which is a drum festival comprising the ethnic groups with the aim of resuscitating the tourism sector, promoting and commercialising the State's well rich-documented history.
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