3 research outputs found
A Critique of the Nigerian Proceeds of Crime (Recovery & Management) Act 2022
No full textOrganized crime is a hazard to national security and the realization of institutional principles. Any society plagued by this menace must stir itself up to leave no safe space for any individual or entity seeking to surreptitiously transfer, conceal or utilize the proceeds of crime and corruption or to evade sanctions. In past decades, Nigeria’s effort expended on the anti-corruption war, although commendable, has not been met with commensurate outcome. This article examines Nigeria’s anti-corruption legislation in respect of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 by providing legal analysis of this legislation in comparison with international best practices in the acquisition and disposal of these assets of crime. With the enactment of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022, the recovery of assets from the proceeds of crime remains the first priority of this legislation to meet the Government’s ambition to steadily increase the value of assets denied to and recovered from criminals. It does appear that the jurisprudential basis for the enactment of the Act is for the recovery of these assets through civil proceedings.
Keywords: criminal liability; forfeiture; Nigerian legislation; non-conviction-based recovery; proceeds of crime; right to property; stay of proceedings
A critique of intellectual property rights in the music industry
No full textIntellectual properties, as a consequence of their intangible nature, are more susceptible to theft and illegal acquisition. Essentially, creators of musical works need some form of right and protection to prevent unauthorized persons from illegally acquiring their intellectual assets and this is frequently referred to as Intellectual Property Rights. To a fair extent, the copyright law has been developed and established in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the strategies that have been installed to ensure its effective implementation and the opportunities provided for the copyright owners to maximize their rights are in question. By extensively using domestic statutes, case laws, foreign conventions and empirical studies from different authors on the subject of copyright in the music industry the writer seeks to explain the basic concept of Intellectual Property as a form of protection for intellectual property-owners which invariably will encourage the spirit of creativity and productivity in the music industry. It also looks at the philosophical structure in which music law and intellectual property rights coalesce in Nigeria’s music industry today to enhance the protection which the law purports to afford the owners or authors of copyrighted works in the music industry. Finally, the article gave an overview of the activities of the Nigerian Copyright Commission and submitted recommendations for effective administration of copyright laws in Nigeria
Cancer tracking system improves timeliness of liver cancer care at a Veterans Hospital: A comparison of cohorts before and after implementation of an automated care coordination tool
No full textIntroduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requires complex care coordination. Patient safety may be compromised with untimely follow-up of abnormal liver imaging. This study evaluated whether an electronic case-finding and tracking system improved timeliness of HCC care. Methods An electronic medical record-linked abnormal imaging identification and tracking system was implemented at a Veterans Affairs Hospital. This system reviews all liver radiology reports, generates a queue of abnormal cases for review, and maintains a queue of cancer care events with due dates and automated reminders. This is a pre-/post-intervention cohort study to evaluate whether implementation of this tracking system reduced time between HCC diagnosis and treatment and time between first liver image suspicious for HCC, specialty care, diagnosis, and treatment at a Veterans Hospital. Patients diagnosed with HCC in the 37 months before tracking system implementation were compared to patients diagnosed with HCC in the 71 months after its implementation. Linear regression was used to calculate mean change in relevant intervals of care adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, BCLC stage, and indication for first suspicious image. Results There were 60 patients pre-intervention and 127 post-intervention. In the post-intervention group, adjusted mean time from diagnosis to treatment was 36 days shorter (p = 0.007), time from imaging to diagnosis 51 days shorter (p = 0.21), and time from imaging to treatment 87 days shorter (p = 0.05). Patients whose imaging was performed for HCC screening had the greatest improvement in time from diagnosis to treatment (63 days, p = 0.02) and from first suspicious image to treatment (179 days, p = 0.03). The post-intervention group also had a greater proportion of HCC diagnosed at earlier BCLC stages (pConclusions The tracking system improved timeliness of HCC diagnosis and treatment and may be useful for improving HCC care delivery, including in health systems already implementing HCC screening. Author summary Liver cancer typically occurs in people with advanced scarring of the liver, a condition called cirrhosis. Survival in liver cancer depends on both the stage of cancer and the severity of pre-existing liver disease. Treatment requires coordination between multiple subspecialties: Hepatology, Oncology, Interventional Radiology, and Surgery. The most common causes of liver cirrhosis in the United States are hepatitis C virus and alcohol use, and patients with cirrhosis often face difficulties accessing timely care due to coexisting mental health conditions and health systems barriers. We implemented a web-based tracking system at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System that 1) automatically generates queues of abnormal imaging suspicious for liver cancer using diagnostic codes and natural language processing, and 2) maintains queues of tasks for follow up diagnostic testing and cancer treatment. We found implementation of this tracking system reduced time from first image suspicious for liver cancer to first cancer treatment. Advances in diagnostic technology and treatment options for liver cancer will benefit patients the most if patients are connected to appropriate specialty treatment in a timely manner, and our study demonstrates the potential of this practical intervention to systematically address gaps in care in an at-risk population
