Secret Reporters No place to hide
…to pay N5 million as damages
The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor may soon be on his way to jail for daring to plagiarize the work of African Association for Ecclesiastical Affairs which is headed by Rev Dr E. A Nyeanegwe. This was revealed in court documents made available to Elombah.com.
According to the documents, on 16th July 2013, Mr Oritsejafor through Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) sent a draft bill to the Senate requesting for the establishment of Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal and Ministry of Religious Affairs, during the proposed constitution amendment. However instead of seeking permission from the original owner of the draft, Rev Nyeanegwe before submitting it to the Senate, the CAN President simply altered it and took same again to the President and demanded for six slots to be given to them to enable them make representations on the ongoing CONFAB.
We gathered that the same bill submitted by Oritsejafor had earlier been sent to the Senate by Nyeanegwe on 15th February 2012 which was acknowledged by the Senate through a letter written to him and his establishment on 3rd December 2013. This same intellectual works stolen by the CAN President is what he submitted to the National CONFAB for debate without the knowledge or approval of the original owners.
On 3rd February 2014, documents revealed that the Nyeanegwe wrote a letter to Oritsejafor warning him to do the needful and put him in the picture of what he is doing in respect of the usage of his intellectual works, but the man of God ignored the letter. Another of such letter was also written on 24th February to him again as well as CAN Secretary complaining of the plagiarism crime of Oritsejafor, which was also ignored.
This forced Nyeanegwe to approach the Federal High Court, Abuja restraining Oritsejafor (Defendant) to stop parading, publishing, imitating, reproducing, transmitting and the usage of such works for his own selfish purpose.
He also demanded the sum of N5 million from Oritsejafor as well as other fines the court may deem fit, as damages for using his works without his permission.
Pastor Oritsejafor has been popularly called a political pastor for always keeping mute despite the political hooliganism going on in the country, as well being a personal pastor and friend to President Goodluck Jonathan.
