Markets cannot advance faster than the legal ordinance in economies. The foundation of all modern economies can be traced to property rights. If you check the gross world product (GWP) – aggregate GDPs of all nations – you will notice that for more than 1,400 years, from AD 1, the GWP was flat, meaning that per capita income was decelerating, across generations, implying that man/woman was getting poorer.
But around the birth of America, something happened: legal ordinance was put into market systems through property rights. And just like that, the linear GWP began to grow exponentially. In a publication in Harvard, I noted that until nations advance the legal ordinance, by strengthening property rights – intellectual or otherwise – they will remain largely poor.
The cement for factors of production is legal ordinance. Nigeria will not advance faster than the strength of its property rights. When a cow eats a farmer’s crops, and there is no consequence, Nigeria gets poorer. When a man steals the ideas of his neighbour and there is no consequence, Nigeria misses a pulse. You may think that it does not matter. It does, because the safest abode for capital is an economy, run within a strong rule of law. If you do not have that safe legal destination, capital will disinvite itself!
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
Nigeria needs to fix the fundamental things about the nation. Yes, we need to go intellectual. If we do, we will notice one factor: you cannot leapfrog the strength of your legal systems, as you advance as a nation! If you do not know, know it now that the invention of intellectual property rights is the biggest invention in human history. The ordinance of markets lives on a great legal system – and the biggest magnet for capital is that legal system. As the high priest to the IPRs, the legal system makes markets function and runs. That is the law for economic development.
Intellectual property rights are legal rights that provide creators protection for original works, inventions, or the appearance of products, artistic works, scientific developments, and so on. There are four types of intellectual property rights (IP): patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
---
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (Feb 10 - May 3, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.
Intellectual Property Rights, in Nigeria? Even something as precious as life, some idiots would kill, we manage to find them, and what do we do? Depending on the level of brutality, we regularly prostrate before the murderers, buying them gifts, plus red carpet welcome; that’s how low we have sunk.
We value nothing sacrosanct or precious, only criminality and impunity are revered here, I do think that we are cursed; it has passed be careful.
We were told the other that the president doesn’t need to comment on everything, else he becomes a talkative, that’s what his so called educated spokesperson told Nigerians, with bold face, and every month we still credit his account, he’s working!
Lawan saw becoming becoming Senate President as something he couldn’t live without, he missed out before but finally got it, and then what? Same goes for Gbajabiamila. We need to be mentioning names, because it’s not my late grandma that will fix these things, those stealing from all of us owe us something.
Who can put Nigeria on the road to greatness? That’s the maximum this generation can do, but who has the head and stomach to attempt it?
Nobody needs to earn salaries or allowances for working for Nigeria, none deserves a kobo!