COUNTERFEIT GL JEWELLERIES PRODUCTS IN NIGERIA (Assessment Report)

1. COUNTERFEIT GL JEWELLERIES PRODUCTS IN NIGERIA(Assessment Report) Presented To: Jean-Renaud FAYOL, Director General / CEO, Axis & Co., Tour Montparnasse, 33 Avenue Du Maine, BP 107 7555, Paris Cedex, France. Presented By: Samson Babatunde Ilesanmi, Suite 2, Number 177, Lagos Road, P. O. Box 5093, GPO, ILORIN, Kwara State, Nigeria. GSM: +234-70-60451145; +234-80-53666185 E-mail: ehpsafeworld@yahoo.com http://eynl.yolasite.com

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Based on an earlier Axis & Co. Counterfeit GL Jewelries Investigations, Legal Prosecution & Counterfeits Confiscation Enforcement in Cotonou, Benin Republic, it became important to beam a search light on the Nigerian very vast jewelries market, since Nigeria is Africa’s largest market; • There is also the fear that the GL jewelries Patent which is valid in Nigeria until year 2016 might not be adequately protected; • This report identified Fake GL jewelries selling outlets in Nigeria & some of those behind the importation & marketing of Fake GL jewelries in Nigeria, through the conduct of an assessment of the GL jewelries market in Nigeria, with the Lagos jewelries markets as reference points; • This effort confirms that counterfeit GL jewelries abound in Nigeria; • To be able to effectively protect the GL jewelries Patent, this report suggested the following: A follow-up Investigation of the GL jewelries Market in Nigeria; to be immediately followed by; • The Control of the GL jewelries Market in Nigeria, with the goal of compelling the Nigerian Government & the Nigerian official Counterfeit Products Control Task Force, to entirely confiscate all Fake GL Products in Nigeria & ensure that those indicted are legally punished according to stipulated local & international Patented Products Counterfeiting Control Laws.

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS • SN TEM PAGE NUMBER • 1. Executive Summary 2; • 2. Terms of Reference 4; • 3. Work Plan 5; • 4. Assessment Findings 6; • 5. Investigation Requirements 8; • Suggestions 9; • Conclusion 10.

4. TERMS OF REFERENCE • Axis & Co. has conducted previous Counterfeit GL Products Investigations, Legal Prosecution & Counterfeit GL Products Confiscation Enforcement in Cotonou, Benin Republic; • Since it is an established fact that most of the buyers of Counterfeit GL Products in Cotonou are Nigerians, an investigation of the possibility of the flooding of the major Nigerian jewelries markets by Counterfeit GL jewelries was considered very expedient by Axis & Co. & their principals; • The objectives of this effort are: to protect the GL Jewelries Patent which is valid in Nigeria until year 2016; to identify Fake GL Products selling outlets in Nigeria; to identify those behind the importation & marketing of Fake GL Products in Nigeria; to prosecute those behind the importation & marketing of Fake GL Products in Nigeria; & to protect the GL Patent by getting the Nigerian official Counterfeit Products Control Task Force to entirely confiscate all Fake GL Products & ensure that those indicted are legally punished according to stipulated local & international Patented Products Counterfeiting Control Laws.

5. WORK PLAN • To succeed in this endeavour, three (3) work steps must be followed: • (i) An assessment of the GL Jewelries Market in Nigeria; • (ii) An Investigation of the GL Jewelries Market in Nigeria; • (iii) The Nigerian Government-backed Control of the GL Jewelries Market in Nigeria.

6. ASSESSMENT FINDINGS • There are three (3) very large jewelries markets in Lagos alone namely: • (i) The Trade Fair Complex Jewelries Market (Badagry Express Way, Lagos): • This market has a section made up of fifteen (15) market storey blocks, each of which has sixty (60) shops that are entirely dedicated to the sale of authentic & fake GL Jewelries, giving a total of nine hundred (900) shops in the GL Line’s 15 blocks alone. Each of the shops has a dimension of about nine square meters (9m X 9m). Some complementary cards were collected from some of the jewelers; • There are also over one hundred (100) isolated GL Jewelries shops scattered all over the Trade Fair Complex Jewelries Market; • All the over one thousand (1,000) shops sell both authentic & fake GL Jewelries; • (ii) The Dosunmu Jewelries Market (Located on Lagos Island): • There are several small shops on two entire streets & on the streets’ alleys, as depicted by the photograph taken by Mr. Jean-Renaud FAYOL. All the shops sell both authentic & fake GL Jewelries in addition to other brands of Jewelries. A card was collected.

7. ASSESSMENT FINDINGS CONTD. • (iii) The Breadfruit Street Jewelries Market (Located on Lagos Island): • There are several small shops on one street & on the street’s alleys, as depicted by the printed photographs. All the shops sell both authentic & fake GL Jewelries in addition to other brands of Jewelries; • Mr. Jean-Renaud FAYOL bought one pair of fake GL ear rings from the Breadfruit Jewelries Market & Few cards were collected; • (iv) The Nnamdi Azikiwe Street Jewelries Market (located on Lagos Island): • There are several isolated large & small shops on one street. All the shops sell both authentic & fake GL Jewelries in addition to other brands of Jewelries; • (iv) The Mushin Market Jewelries Market (located in Mushin): • There are several isolated small shops within the Mushin Market. All the shops sell both authentic & fake GL Jewelries in addition to other brands of Jewelries.

8. SUGGESTIONS • It is an established fact that Nigeria is the largest dump / market for counterfeit products, (Jewelries inclusive), in the world, (EHP Report No 5); • This is aided by the WTO Treaty that allows for free flow of goods into all WTO Treaty Signatory Countries, which includes Nigeria; the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Treaty & the official corruption of the Nigerian judiciary & Custom & Excise officers, (EHP Report No 5); • This means that logically, counterfeit products cannot be effectively controlled in Nigeria except existing Nigerian government official Counterfeit Products Control Task Force are involved, so as to, expedite action & avoid judicial delays through unnecessary adjournments which can span into years; • Suffice the need to SUGGEST the following: • (i) A follow-up Investigation of the GL Jewelries Markets in Nigeria; to be closely followed by: (ii) A federal government-backed Counterfeit GL Jewelries Confiscation Exercise; • This will compel the Nigerian Government & the official Counterfeit Products Control Task Force to entirely confiscate all Fake GL Jewelries in Nigeria & ensure that those indicted are legally punished according to stipulated local & international Patented Products Counterfeiting Control Laws.

9. INVESTIGATIONS REQUIREMENTS • To be able to effectively conduct a very authentic Investigation of the GL Jewelries Markets in Nigeria, which can convince & compel the Nigerian Government & the official Counterfeit Products Control Task Force, to entirely confiscate all Fake GL Jewelries in Nigerian markets& ensure that those indicted are legally punished according to stipulated local & international Patented Products Counterfeiting Control Laws, the following are required: • (i) Secret Cameras; (ii) Voltmeters; (iii) the procurement of some of the counterfeit GL Jewelries as exhibits; (iv) the engagement of ten (10) field investigation officers to carry out the field investigations in the five (5) markets.

10. CONCLUSION • Within a very short time, the assessments conducted all over the five major jewelries markets in Lagos, Nigeria confirmed that there is a proliferation of counterfeit GL products, which are conspicuously displayed for sale in all the visited markets in Lagos, Nigeria; • There is no doubt about the fact that Nigerian cities like Aba, Abuja, Enugu, Onitsha, Kano, Ibadan, Ilorin, Maiduguri & each of the 36 states capitals have illicit GL jewelries marketing outlets; • The vastness of the Lagos jewelries markets, which undoubtedly distributes a great proportion of the jewelries needs of over 140 million jewelry crazy Nigerians, in addition to, several hundreds of millions of other Sub-Saharan Africans who solely depend on the Nigerian jewelries markets for their ceremonial & luxury jewelries & other products supplies; • This shows that the principals of Axis & Co. – the authentic GL Jewelries Patent owners might be loosing colossal revenue in Nigeria & Sub-Saharan Africa; • The control of the GL Jewelries Market in Nigeria, with the goal of effectively protecting GL Jewelries Patent in Nigeria against any form of undue competitions from counterfeit GL jewelries is long overdue; • Suffice the need for the principals of Axis & Co. – the authentic GL Jewelries Patent owners to approve without delay, the work plan & suggestions of this report by ordering a follow-up investigation of the GL Jewelries Markets spread all over Nigeria; to be followed by a periodic Federal Government – backed Counterfeit GL Products Confiscation Exercise.