News – COSON

“MEMBERS OF COSON HAVE PROVED TO NIGERIANS THAT THE RAMPAGING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL BANDITS, MARAUDERS, AND SCAMMERS OPERATING IN OUR COUNTRY CAN BE FOUGHT HEADLONG AND WITHOUT FEAR”

– EXCERPTS FROM THE ADDRESS OF COSON CHAIRMAN, CHIEF TONY OKOROJI, TO THE COSON AGM HELD TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have been unflinching, unwavering and unapologetic in building and maintaining COSON and ensuring that COSON is a world standard institution and a first-class organization that protects and promotes the rights of creative people in the Nigerian music industry and the music industry across the world, with utmost transparency.

The roots of COSON are strong. We have made COSON not just a copyright collective management organization but moulded it into a strong family of thousands of creative people spread across Nigeria who look after each other. Without doubt, COSON is the most solid and formidable organization the Nigerian creative industry has ever built.

If you ask: What is the secret of the staying power of COSON, my answer will be:

1.Transparency; 2. Our care and love for each other; 3. The trust and belief of a large majority of our membership in the Leadership, Board and Management; 4. Our insistence on never bending our rules or the law, no matter whose ox is gored and 5. Our clear knowledge of the law and our lack of cowardice to deploy the law in full, to right all wrongs against us and to take on anyone determined to mess with the interest or the rights of our members or our society.

I am aware that the rapid success of COSON has dazzled so many. The facts are that we surprised many at the speed and dexterity with which we brought together thousands of creative people, assembled millions of works, both local and international, thereby creating a breath-taking repertoire and library. We built and equipped the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja with the most modern technology without borrowing one ‘shi-shi’ and set up a management team of well-trained accountants, lawyers, copyright experts, statisticians and other world class professionals.

Every single year since the incorporation of COSON, we have had our accounts professionally audited. Recently, COSON invited one of the most respected accounting firms in the world and subjected itself to a complete 7-month forensic audit, something no other organization in the history of the Nigerian creative industry has ever done. COSON has distributed hundreds of millions of Naira in copyright royalties to music industry stakeholders spread across the country even in the era of the 2020 Covid 19 lockdown. Indeed, COSON has done what many thought could never be done in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, because of the vicious nature of the Nigerian political environment, our success became our albatross. COSON, seen as an incredible Nigerian success story, began to attract envy and the usual Nigerian ‘bad-belle’. Some top officers of the Nigerian government were told that COSON is a gold mine. So, they began to work assiduously with some fraudsters within our industry to appropriate the organization for themselves and their friends. Determined to make COSON their private ATM, they twisted and mutilated the law, turned it upside down and started issuing instructions to COSON not based on Nigerian law or the constitution. In a bad display of self-help, even when the issues are before courts of competent jurisdictions, they have tried to over-reach the courts.

These officials and their friends have used every subterfuge to turn COSON, an independent private sector organization, into their private cash cow. Of course, we have said, “No Way!”COSON is an organization set up without one penny of government money and with the clear objective of making life better for musicians all over Nigeria. It is common knowledge that they have tried to determine the leadership and agenda of COSON in Abuja and force it on us, so that some people may fill their private pockets with copyright royalties at the expense of the musicians of Nigeria. We have said, “No Way!”It is well known that COSON has been targeted for seizure or destruction in recent years and every dubious tactic, including rabid defamation, lawless freezing of accounts to make sure that COSON has no money to operate or distribute and inexplicable deployment of the nation’s security agencies to harass and torture the leadership and staff of COSON, have been unleashed so as to grab control of COSON, kidnap the resources of the organization and if they fail, grind its lawful operations to a halt. We have said “No Way!”We have had to deploy the law, like no other organization in the history of Nigeria, to form a bulwark against the people, in and out of government, whose modus operandi has been to grab everything in Nigeria for themselves, their friends and families with no thought of the other people of Nigeria, the young people of our nation, our children and grandchildren. To them, we have said, “No Way!” We have been to practically every court, everywhere in the land and held our heads high. Without the decisions of those distinguished Judges of the Courts who remain committed to truth and justice, COSON, this great pan Nigerian organization that has become the nation’s most formidable agent of strength, unity, progress and growth for the creative industry in Nigeria, would since have been sucked dry and wiped away.

I remember being warned to get out of the way or I will be crushed by the power of the state. It is well known that I have been harassed, tormented, abducted, and brutalized every which way. I have made it clear that I am prepared to lay down my life in the defence of the rights of the creative people of Nigeria. It is my firm belief that no great nation on earth has been built by cowards.I am proud of the members of COSON, everywhere in Nigeria, our Board members, and the Management team at COSON.

The support of our members has been powerful, the unity within the Board is unrivalled and every working day, the Management team resumes at the ever sparkling and magnificent COSON House and makes sure that COSON is working, and all the key COSON processes are operating at international standard.

I want to assure members of COSON and our international partners that the period of the locust is almost at an end and that COSON will soon fully resume the distribution of royalties and benefits to our members and affiliates everywhere.

I beg every member of COSON to make sure that during the forthcoming general elections, we deploy our PVCs to elect a government that respects the rights of creative people and respects the rule of law so that COSON will continue to serve its members without any molestation or disturbance from the people whose true responsibility is to strengthen and support every purposeful Nigerian organization.

Every member of COSON should be proud that we have refused to be cowards and slaves in our country. Members of COSON have proved to Nigerians that the rampaging economic and political bandits, marauders, and scammers operating in our country can be fought headlong and without fear. I assure you that at the end of the day, all of us at COSON will have the last laugh as we create new sweet music, sing and dance in harmony and with pride let everybody hear those iconic words for which we are well known, “Let the music pay!”

COSON CONGRATULATES NIGERIANS ON THE NATION’S 62ND INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSSARY

As Nigeria marks the 62^nd anniversary of the nation’s independence, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization has sent a message of congratulations to all Nigerians.

In the goodwill message, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, said that despite the immense challenges faced by the Nigerian people, Nigerians must drive ahead with the knowledge that our nation has a new opportunity in the upcoming democratic process to right our wrongs and build a nation that provides a great future for our young people.

Said Chief Okoroji, “all over the world, the ingenuity of the Nigerian people continues to be on display. Our music, movies, literature, fashion, programming, and similar products of the creative endeavor are in substantial demand across the world. In the creative industry, Nigeria has significant comparative advantage. We only need patriots who have the vision, the passion, and the understanding of the new world to be in the right positions to spark the fire and change the national narrative. We ask for an end to the period of the locust in Nigeria when poor leadership without vision has held our country down.

“As we celebrate this Independence Anniversary, we call on all Nigerians, especially every member of COSON and all other groups and associations in the Nigerian creative industry to make sure that during the forthcoming general elections, we deploy our PVCs to elect a government that works for the Nigerian people and not against us; that respects the rights of creative people and respects the rule of law. That is the way to stop our nation from sliding into irreversible hopelessness.

“On this Independence Anniversary, we once again ask for a new Nigeria in which the people of wealth and influence are no longer those who have brazenly stolen the people’s wealth or scammed us and tricked us out of what rightfully belongs to us. We ask for a new Nigeria driven by knowledge and creativity. We want a new nation where a creative songwriter can depend on his creativity and live well; a good performer does not have to worry about how to feed his family; a talented filmmaker or actor will not be burdened by where his next rent will come from; a gifted author can become a millionaire and does not have to sweat at the thought of his children’s school fees and a fashion designer with unique talent can be celebrated for his or her creativity. We ask for a Nigeria in which a great photographer can be a man of means; an architect does not also have to be a builder to earn commensurate income from his talent; an inventor can live off his invention and a creator of content can thrive from the deployment of his content.

“We earnestly ask for a new Nigeria in which a lecturer is no longer ashamed to say that he teaches for a living. In other words, we demand a nation in which knowledge and creativity are celebrated.

“As we celebrate this Independence Anniversary we hold the hope that change can come to Nigeria and the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain”.

“NO MUSIC DAY” 2022 OFFICIAL STATEMENT!!

“MUSIC IN A SOCIETY ON THE ROAD TO A SOCIO-POLITICAL REVOLUTION”

Issued on behalf of the Nigerian Music Industry from COSON HOUSE by the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji.

This Thursday, September 1, 2022, the music industry in Nigeria once again marks “No Music Day”. It is our wish to remind everyone that “No Music Day” is a day that the industry in Nigeria has dedicated annually to bringing the attention of the Nigerian nation to the widespread infringement of the rights of songwriters, composers, performers, music publishers, record labels and other stakeholders in the nation’s creative industry. You may hear voices of disputes and disagreements or different approaches to addressing the challenges of our industry, but we are united, we are one and cannot be separated in our demand and determination to end the reckless and rabid stealing of the fruits of the labour of Nigeria’s creative people.

Lest we forget, “No Music Day” is traceable to that historic week in 2009 when Nigerian artistes of different shades and many of our friends embarked on a weeklong hunger-strike staged in front of the National Theatre, Lagos. The hunger strike which was a result of our frustration with the devastating level of intellectual property theft in Nigeria was the prelude to what has become known as “No Music Day” in Nigeria. On September 1, 2009, practitioners in the entire Nigerian creative family massed in front of the National Theatre and for days, refused to eat or drink and demanded that the over 400 licensed broadcast stations in the country, who use music as the key raw material for their operations, should not broadcast music for a significant period of a day.

While we have used music as our point of contact, our protest is hinged on the fact that if Nigeria must make serious economic progress, we should stop the platitudes and take strong national action against the violation of the rights of not just musicians, but the violation of the rights of authors, publishers, actors, movie producers, photographers, architects, computer programmers, visual artists and designers of all types and indeed, the violation of the rights of all Nigerians.

As we mark “No Music Day” across the country this September 1, COSON has also asked our thousands of members all over Nigeria and other stakeholders in the music industry to engage with the public through the mass media and by vigorous deployment of our immense social media handles to register our disdain for the widespread contempt for the rights of creative people in Nigeria.

As we mark “No Music Day” today, we once again ask all Nigerians to seriously think about a world without music. What kind of world would that be?

Every year, in marking “No Music Day”, our key objective has been to engage the Nigerian people and the various governments on the potential contributions of Nigerian creativity to the development of the Nigerian nation and the necessity to fully deploy the substantial comparative advantage which our nation possesses in this area so as to provide hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs to the teeming masses of Nigerian youth who parade the streets of our country almost hopelessly and which hopelessness invariably attracts them to become laborers in the devil’s workshop.

Everywhere you go, the ingenuity of the Nigerian people continues to be on display. Our music, movies, literature, fashion, programming, and similar products of the creative endeavor are in substantial demand across the world. In the creative industry, Nigeria has significant comparative advantage. We are only asking for people who have the vision, the passion, and the understanding of the new world to be in the right positions to spark the fire and change the national narrative. We ask for an end to the period of the locust in Nigeria when poor leadership without vision has held our country down.

In marking “No Music Day” 2022, we once again ask for a new Nigeria in which the people of wealth and influence are no longer those who have brazenly stolen the people’s wealth or scammed other people and tricked them out of what rightfully belongs to them. We ask for a Nigeria driven by knowledge and creativity. We want a nation where a creative songwriter can depend on his creativity and live well; a good performer does not have to worry about how to feed his family; a talented filmmaker or actor will not be burdened by where his next rent will come from; a gifted author can become a millionaire and does not have to sweat at the thought of his children’s school fees and a fashion designer with unique talent can be celebrated for his or her creativity. We ask for a Nigeria in which a great photographer can be a man of means; an architect does not also have to be a builder to earn commensurate income from his talent; an inventor can live off his invention and a creator of content can thrive from the deployment of his content.

We earnestly ask for a Nigeria in which a lecturer is no longer ashamed to say that he teaches for a living. In other words, we demand a nation in which knowledge and creativity are celebrated.

For many years, some of us in the creative industries have continuously requested a proper engagement with the government so that we can unleash the burning latent energy of the creative geniuses that abound in our nation and to deploy that energy towards national development.

Our theme for the 2022 “No Music Day” is: “MUSIC IN A SOCIETY ON THE ROAD TO A SOCIO-POLITICAL REVOLUTION”

We would all agree that a world without music should be likened to a graveyard. What is the greatest analgesic that cures the pain of our depression, anger and frustration? MUSIC!

I must remind Nigerian musicians that our problems will not be solved until we stop the unnecessary bickering and fractionalization in our industry. It is the bickering and disunity that are exploited by those who have no real stake in our industry except to deploy divide and rule to milk us and keep us down. We must work together in the interest of our country and the young people who look towards us for guidance. We must understand that in a democracy, there will be alternative points of view. Each alternative view should not result in the setting up of an alternative faction.

On this “No Music Day”, we continue to demand real change. We once again demand that the Nigerian nation addresses the following:

1) Implement the Private Copy Levy scheme which after many years and repeated calls, has still not been implemented.

2) Ensure that necessary steps are taken to finally get the National Endowment Fund for the Arts operative to provide urgently needed resources to ensure the funding of creative projects in Nigeria.

3) Ensure that Government owned broadcasting stations and other government owned institutions are reminded that there is no provision under the law that exempts them from the payment of royalties for the musical content broadcast or deployed by them.

4) Ensure that the Nigerian Copyright Commission and other institutions of government pivot towards the effective implementation of anti-piracy measures in the digital environment which is where the bulk of piracy exists today.

We believe that the time has come for our creative industry to go beyond simply providing entertainment to the public but playing a key role in nation building.

We are saddened by the dangerous direction that our nation has been headed in recent times and the hopelessness that seems to engulf the citizens. We are saddened by the tribal and religious divisions, kidnappings, senseless killings, abductions, banditry, joblessness and the political and judicial rascality that sap the hope of our young people.

We cannot afford to give up as a nation despite the immense disappointments we have faced. We must no longer leave our nation solely in the hands of our political job men who have shown frightening incapacity to move Nigeria forward and who are driving us to the precipice.

All of Nigeria’s creative people must today fully engage in preventing Nigeria from becoming a wasted land destroyed by hatred and suspicion and the narrow tribal ambitions of a hand-full of people.

On this “No Music Day”, we call on Nigeria’s musicians, actors, movie makers, writers, journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, intellectuals and all who operate in the creative space to deploy their talents and consciously work towards saving our people from impending doom.

In consonance with our theme, “MUSIC IN A SOCIETY ON THE ROAD TO A SOCIO-POLITICAL REVOLUTION”, It must be our foremost responsibility now to unleash a lot of music, movies, programs, broadcasts, speeches, etc., that create an environment for stability, unity, justice, peace, rule of law and development in the Nigerian nation and stop the slide into anarchy and hopelessness.

In building a new and better nation, creative people must play a central role, stand up, take responsibility, work together, establish the strong advocacy necessary in every democracy to create positive change.

On this “No Music Day”, I call on every member of COSON and all other groups and associations in the Nigerian creative industry to make sure that during the forthcoming general elections, we deploy our PVCs to elect a government that respects the rights of creative people and respects the rule of law. That is the way to stop our nation from sliding into irreversible hopelessness.

I make this broadcast from COSON House in Ikeja which is property that belongs 100% to the creative people of Nigeria and which shows what we can do when we work together. I wish to state that I am proud of the members of COSON, everywhere in Nigeria, our Board members, and the indefatigable Management team at COSON. COSON has continued to thrive because we have not allowed anyone to tear us apart which underlines the truism in the words, “United we stand, divided we fall”.

The support of COSON members has been powerful, the unity within the Board is unrivaled and every working day, the Management team resumes at the ever-sparkling COSON House and makes sure that COSON is working, and all the key COSON processes are operating at international standard.

I want to assure members of COSON that we have fought hard, and the period of the locust is almost at an end and that COSON will soon fully resume the distribution of royalties and benefits to our members across Nigeria.

Every member of COSON should be proud that we have shown everyone that we can lawfully but vehemently refuse to be cowards and slaves in our country and we have proved that every Nigerian group, association, tribe or people can resist the attempt by the rampaging gang of economic and political marauders and vampires who want to appropriate everything that belongs to Nigerians to themselves and hold all of us to ransom and destroy our country to which God has endowed with everything that a country needs to be great.

I assure the members of COSON that at the end of the day, we will have the last laugh as we create new, sweet music, dance and sing in harmony and with pride, let everybody hear those iconic words for which we are very well known, “Let the music pay!”

God bless the Nigerian Creative Industry and God bless the great people of Nigeria.

CHIEF TONY OKOROJI:

September 1, 2022

NO MUSIC DAY BROADCAST BY CHIEF TONY OKOROJI ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

COSON BOARD ASKS ACCESS BANK TO BE A GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN AND OBEY COURT ORDERS AGAINST IT.

The full Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization, rose from a meeting held at the Boardroom of COSON House in Ikeja, this Tuesday, June 14, 2022, calling on Access Bank Plc to be a good corporate citizen and ensure that all court orders against it are fully obeyed. The Board asked the Bank to understand that while it is a defendant in one case today, it will be a plaintiff in another case tomorrow and when it prevails, the bank will expect the other party to respect the judgment of the court. According to the Board, the respect for the rule of law is critical to the stability and progress of every nation.

It will be recalled that Justice Yellin S. Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in a celebrated judgment, recently ordered Access Bank Plc to immediately unfreeze the bank accounts of COSON at the bank and to pay COSON 70 million naira in damages for unlawful freezing of its accounts. Despite the order of Justice Bogoro and an earlier decision in 2019 by Justice M.S. Hassan, Access Bank has continued to withhold COSON’s funds which has resulted in the storming of the bank by angry musicians. Written instructions given to the bank by COSON to pay earned specific royalties to several musicians have also been disobeyed by the bank.

The Board pleaded for patience and restraint from musicians across Nigeria who have expressed dismay at the behaviour of Access Bank, assuring them that COSON will continue to engage with the bank to resolve the problem as expeditiously as possible. The COSON Board thanked the musicians who have participated in the street protests against Access Bank and those who have expressed interest in further protests saying that COSON is aware that there are many musicians who like COSON, are Access Bank customers and that the interest of COSON is not to bring down Access Bank or any other Nigerian institution but to ensure that every Nigerian institution respects the rights of creative people whose rights have been treated with contempt for too long in Nigeria.

The Board reaffirmed the determination of COSON to remain an agent of strength unity, progress and growth for the music industry in Nigeria and to shield the music industry from scammers and marauders who want to turn collective management of copyright to their personal cash cow and naira gushing ATM.

The Board meeting was presided over by the COSON Chairman, the celebrated and indefatigable fighter for the rights of creative people in Nigeria and Africa and former President of PMAN, Chief Tony Okoroji. Present were Afro Juju super star, Sir Shina Peters; Gospel music minister, Kenny Saint Brown; Ace-drummer and producer, Richard Ayodele Cole; Reggae gospel star, Righteousman Erhabor; Showbiz Impresario, Koffi Idowu Nuel also known as Koffi Da Guru; Singer, Producer and TV host, Nimyel Nansel, better known as Zdon Paporella; Vivacious performer and first daughter of the legendry Ras Kimono, Oge Kimono and well-known Enugu based music star and publisher, Sir Angus Power Nwangwu.

Also present were Abuja based music publisher and war horse of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN), Chief Uche Emeka Paul, Gospel Music Minister, Evangelist Olusegun Omoyayi, National President of Music Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MUPMAN), Engr Sharon Esco Wilson, COSON General Manager, Mrs Bernice Eriemeghe Ashibuogwu; COSON Deputy General Manager, Mr Vincent Adawaisi and COSON General Counsel, Barrister Simi Wash-Pam.

COSON BOARD MEETS IN LAGOS AND RESOLVES THAT ALL MUSIC USERS BE INFORMED THAT COSON CONTINUES TO STAND FIRM LEGALLY AND THAT THE =N=10 BILLION SUIT AGAINST THE NCC HAS NOT BEEN TRIED, STRUCK OUT, DETERMINED NOR DISMISSED AND THAT COSON RENEWS THE CALL FOR THE SACK OF NCC DG, JOHN ASEIN.

The full Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization, rose from its meeting held at the Boardroom of COSON House in Ikeja, this Tuesday, February 22, 2022, with several important decisions.

The meeting resolved that COSON members across the country, COSON partners across the world and the general public be informed that the determination of COSON to protect and defend the rights of its members and affiliates within the law, remains iron-clad and solid and that COSON will not waiver in the pursuit of justice.

The Board restated its commitment to making certain that every naira of royalty owed the members of COSON is collected and distributed appropriately within the shortest possible time reiterating that contrary to dubious propaganda, COSON has at no time been proscribed nor delisted by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and continues to operate lawfully.

The Board also decided that it be emphatically made public that COSON has not at any time ceded the rights to licence any of the hundreds of thousands of musical works and sound recordings lawfully assigned to it, to the controversial MCSN whose purported approval is still being stoutly challenged in court and that no one including the Nigerian Copyright Commission is empowered by law to authorize MCSN to licence works in the COSON repertoire and that anyone paying MCSN for the use of works in the COSON repertoire is doing so at his or her own very high risk.

The COSON Board also decided that the public be made aware that the =N=10 Billion suit filed against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) for unlawfully hounding COSON, the most successful and best managed organization ever set up by the Nigerian creative industry, has not been tried, struck out, determined nor dismissed and that the prayers of COSON remain live issues before the Court and that there is no way that COSON can be said to be operating unlawfully without the issues being determined and that the realities are not changed by the wilful misinterpretation of the facts by the NCC and its collaborating gang, who have contributed nothing to the music industry but at the expense of innocent copyright owners, want to deploy the commission to reap where they did not sow.

The Board also decided that President Mohammed Buhari be well reminded of the resolution by thousands of COSON members at the COSON AGM of December 14, 2021 calling on him to relieve Mr. John Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) of his position for fraud and conflict of interest and notifying him that Mr. Asein’s leadership of the NCC is infested with evil, leaving the commission to continuously go backwards instead of forward and that members of COSON have completely lost respect for the leadership of John Asein and that they are certain that the Copyright Commission can make no progress under him.

According to the Board, the NCC which was set up to protect the rights of copyright owners has become the greatest threat to those rights and a shining example of the lawlessness that pervades the country.

The Board applauded COSON members across the country for their steadfast support of COSON in the midst of the lawless assault on COSON and its leadership by 419 agents deploying state apparatus and bandits masquerading as officers of the law.

The Board also expressed pride that COSON remains the only organization in the the history of the Nigerian creative industry that has subjected itself to full financial audit every year since its inception and has gone ahead to subject itself to total forensic audit by one of the best- known auditing firms in the world.

The Board meeting was presided over by COSON Chairman, celebrated and indefatigable fighter for the rights of creative people in Nigeria and Africa and former President of PMAN, Chief Tony Okoroji. Present were Afro Juju super star, Sir Shina Peters; Gospel music minister, Kenny Saint Brown; Ace-drummer and producer, Richard Ayodele Cole; Reggae gospel star, Righteousman Erhabor; Showbiz Impresario, Koffi Idowu Nuel also known as Koffi Tha Guru; Singer, Producer and TV host, Nimyel Nansel, better known as Zdon Paporella; Vivacious performer and first daughter of the legendry Ras Kimono, Oge Kimono and well-known Enugu based music publisher, Sir Angus Power Nwangwu.

COSON WRITES SENATE PRESIDENT, DESCRIBES THE NEW EXECUTIVE COPYRIGHT BILL AS A DANGEROUS DOCUMENT INFESTED WITH MANY BAD AND ANTI-DEMOCRATIC PROVISIONS

A day before a hurriedly scheduled public hearing by the Nigerian Senate to discuss a new Executive Bill to replace Nigeria’s current copyright law, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the nation’s biggest copyright collective management organization, has written to the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, complaining about the process and procedure of trying to pass the bill.

In the four-page letter signed by the COSON Chairman and former President of PMAN, Chief Tony Okoroji, COSON said that it is very clear that the Senate is being stampeded to pass a very dangerous bill infested with many bad and anti-democratic provisions that will stifle the growth of creativity in Nigeria and damage the Nigerian economy going forward.

According to the letter, the bill if passed into law, will turn Nigerian musicians, authors, film makers, computer programmers, publishers and the many creatives who depend on a good copyright system into the slaves of a few civil servants at the Nigerian Copyright Commission.

Said COSON “If Section 39 of the bill becomes law, in a supposed democracy, no copyright owner in Nigeria who negotiates or grants a licence for the use of his work, will be able to exercise his constitutional right of going to court anymore to enforce his rights, except he gets the permission of civil servants at the Nigerian Copyright Commission!”

Mentioning several sections of the bill, COSON wrote, “there are countless provisions in the bill giving the Nigerian Copyright Commission and its personnel such powers and privileges not possessed by any other government agency. A lot of these provisions are not in line with diverse public service rules. Indeed, in so many situations, the Nigerian Copyright Commission has put itself in the place of the owners of copyright to take decisions on behalf of the copyright owners which decisions are business decisions ordinarily taken by the owners of copyright or their agents.”

According to COSON, the commission neither has the competence, the staff, the technology, the lack of bias and has not shown over time that it has the slightest capacity to exercise the powers it is grabbing and the result will be utter confusion and frustration.

The letter said that under Section 104 (2), no one can bring any action against the Commission or any member of its staff on any matter whatsoever, whether private or official, except a three-month written notice of intention to commence the suit is served upon the Commission by the intending plaintiff or his agent. According to COSON, no government official or even any of Nigeria’s senators enjoys such privilege or protection.

Furthermore, the letter says that under Section 100 of the bill, if any citizen gets a judgment against the Commission, no execution or attachment of process can be issued against the Commission, unless prior to such execution, not less than three months’ notice of the intention to execute or attach has been given to the Commission.

COSON in the letter complained that it received for the first time by e-mail the 88-page document with 109 sections only three working days before the scheduled Public Hearing which incidentally is holding on October 12, the same day that COSON is holding a major event in Lagos to celebrate the life and times of Prof (Sir) Victor Uwaifo, one of Nigeria’s greatest creative geniuses of all times, who died on August 28 and will be buried this week.

The letter also pointed out that under Section 87 of the bill, Nigeria will start a new regime of the registration of copyright, which COSON says is “a totally unnecessary and anachronistic adventure and a very bad move”.

COSON adds that reading through the document, it is clear that it was drafted by Civil Servants with definite self-serving agenda and academics with very little copyright industry experience. According to the letter, “the contradictions and conflicts in the document are fundamental and not such that can be repaired by any panel beating. Indeed, the Head of Service of the Federation needs to look at the document to expunge the many anti-Public Service proposals. A very transparent process in which the true stakeholders are on the table needs to be commenced if the intent is not to suppress Nigeria’s creative output and kill our copyright industries”

In conclusion COSON wrote: “for the good of the Nigerian nation and posterity and not to make Nigeria the laughingstock of the world, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is requested not to put its imprimatur on the terrible piece of legislation known as the ‘Executive Copyright Bill’”.

See full letter

THE RED-CARPET TRIBUTE NIGHT TO ‘SEND OFF’ UDEGBUNAM DESCRIBED AS “UNFORGETTABLE!”

“It was fantastic!”; “great!”; “top notch”; “unforgettable!”. These were some of the superlatives by which some attendees described the special Red Carpet Tribute Night in honour of the frontline Board member of COSON, Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization, Honourable John Ewelukwa Udegbunam, who passed away in Onitsha recently.

Indeed, leaving the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja at about 9.00 pm on Tuesday September 14, 2021 after the event, a member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN) who witnessed the occasion said, “wow! remarkable! Since everybody is going to die, this is the kind of send-off everyone would wish”.

From about 6.00 pm, friends, relations, admirers and colleagues of Honourable Udegbunam had taken over the expansive red carpet laid in front of COSON House and posed for photographs as cameras clicked away. Present were almost every member of the COSON Board including Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, Gospel Minister, Kenny Saint Best; Master of Impressions, Koffi Tha Guru; Celebrated drummer and producer, Richard Cole; Reggae toaster and producer, Engr. Sharon Esco Wilson Joshua, etc. Also present were COSON General Manager, Mrs. Bernice Eriemeghe-Ashibuogwu; her predecessor, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji and all the senior staff of COSON.

There were also the likes of ace broadcaster, Patrick Doyle; former PMAN President, Hajiya Amina Dangaji, City lawyer, James Ononiwu and Chartered Accountant, JKC Enebeli. Also on the red-carpet was Johannes Ewelukwa Udegbunam, the first son of the deceased who represented the family at the event.

A significant contingent of CCRN of which Hon Udegbunam was National Musical Director, stormed COSON House. The contingent was led by Mr. JIC Obi, member National Summit Committee of CCRN and renowned gospel singer, John Praise Onuchukwu, both of whom arrived with their beautiful wives.

The event thereafter shifted to the chilled and cozy “COSON Arena” at the top of COSON House. The arena with its array of lights and effects, was lit to capture the mood of the night as the guests were received by the exquisite live violin musical performance of the great young Nigerian violinist, Emmaolin whose dexterity on the violin left many in awe. Master compere, comedian and musician, Koffi Tha Guru, coordinated and intricately threaded a never-to-be-forgotten three hours of a night of endearing music, visuals and tributes.

It was Koffi who introduced COSON Board member and recent PDP candidate for the Chairmanship of Ifo Local Government of Ogun State, Evangelist Olusegun Omoyayi, who said the opening prayers. He then introduced the celebrated former President of PMAN and Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, to formally welcome the guests.

The very glowing tributes to Honorable Udegbunan began to flow. The first came from the Abuja based COSON Board member and bosom friend of the deceased, Chief Uche Emeka Paul who went back memory lane, told intimate stories of the times they shared and eulogized his special friend known by many as either ‘Eweson’ or ‘Honourable’.

Then, Kenny Saint Best (KSB) mounted the stage, took the microphone and rendered what may have been the most inspired performance of her career. Her voice filled the Arena, soared into the skies and brought everybody to their feet. She described Udegbunam as irreplaceable as she talked about his contribution to the COSON Board saying that he was a great warrior for a good cause whose memory will never fade away. The last tribute in the section was given by drummer boy emeritus, Richard Cole who joined everybody who spoke before him to underline the fact that John Ewelukwa Udegbunam was an exceptional human being who will be missed by all who knew him.

The lights in the Arena suddenly dimmed and the COSON House mega screen came to life with an intricately produced video and photo collage of the life and times of the great Eweson to which everybody was gripped as some cried but which at the end, received a resounding ovation.

In the second section of tributes, two representatives of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN), John Praise Onuchukwu and JIC Obi praised the man who they said sacrificed so much to build their organization and to implant CCRN across Nigeria. They were emphatic that Udegbunam was a man of service who gave his all for the good of all.

A huge plaque in appreciation of his father’s contribution to COSON, was presented by the Board of COSON to Johannes Ewelukwa Udegbunam, the first son of the deceased who represented the family at the event.

Once again, the lights dimmed in the Arena, an all-glass table was brought on stage, a voice from the wilderness filled the Arena and two African warriors in dramatic and magical fashion, from the back of the Arena, brought “THE BOOK”, the big COSON Roll of Honour and placed it on the glass table.

COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji then read a citation in which he said of Udegbunam, “He fought music pirates with both hands and everything else he could muster. He could easily have become rich by collecting money from the pirates and looking the other way. Udegbunam did not”.
The name, John Ndidika Ewelukwa Udegbunam was then entered into the COSON Roll of honour and his son Johannes Ewelukwa Udegbunam was decorated with the first ever posthumous Copyright Medal of Honour on behalf of his father.

Johannes who told the story of the struggles of his father from childhood, thereafter, thanked the Board and Management of COSON for the great honour done to his father. The great night personally produced by the master of many unforgettable events, Chief Tony Okoroji, ended with a great performance by Johannes Ewelukwa Udegbunam, of a medley of his father’s songs. Everyone joined in singing and dancing away a night that will stay fresh in the minds of many for a long time to come.

BIG COSON BOARD MEETING ENDS IN LAGOS

The full Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest and most admired copyright collective management organization, has risen from its meeting held on April 22, 2021 at the Boardroom of the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja.

At the meeting, the Board requested the general public to discountenance the malicious campaign of falsehood coordinated by the discredited self-acclaimed factional leader of PMAN, Mr. Pretty Okafor and his cronies against COSON and its leadership with their endless stream of nonsensical petitions filled with lies and twisted logic.

The Board also reaffirmed the commitment of COSON to continue to fully defend the constitutional proprietary rights of its thousands of members across Nigeria within the ambits of the law and to continue to maintain 100% transparency and accountability.

The Board thanked lawyers to COSON for their muscular defence of the society against the attempt by jobless fraudsters and charlatans to intimidate COSON licensees with security agents, hijack the Nigerian music industry and to turn the industry to their new gold mine and Nigerian musicians to their new “mugus”.

The Board also directed all COSON lawyers, consultants and licensing officers all over the country to ensure that everyone owing money to COSON for the deployment of musical works and sound recordings in the COSON repertoire be made to pay up forthwith or face full legal consequences.

The Board re-asserted its full confidence and that of thousands of COSON members across Nigeria, in the leadership of the COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, whom they said, “is a brilliant mind, democratically chosen, tried, tried again, tested, tested again and never found wanting” and thanked him for his unequaled sacrifice in the promotion and defence of the Nigerian creative industry.

The five hour meeting was attended by practically every member of the Board from across the country including the Afro-Juju superstar and newly ordained Bishop of Cherubim & Seraphim Church, Sir Shina Peters; renowned gospel Minister, Kenny Saint Best; multi-talented MC, comedian and music star, Kofi Da Guru; celebrated drummer and producer, Mr. Richard Ayodele Cole; immediate past National President of the powerful Music Label Owners & Recording Industries Association of Nigeria (MORAN), Hon John Ewelukwa Udegbunam; President of the Music Producers & Marketers Association of Nigeria (MUPMAN), Eng. Sharon Esco Wilson; Gospel Minister, Evangelist Olusegun Omoyayi; music director and immediate past National Coordinator of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria, Chief Uche Emeka Paul, etc.

The COSON Management was represented at the meeting by the COSON General Manager, Ms. Bernice Eriemeghe, Deputy General Manager, Mr. Vincent Adawaisi and frontline lawyer and COSON General Counsel, Barrister Simi Wash-Pam.

Fed. High Court Orders IG, EFCC & DSS To Show Cause Over Harassment Of COSON, Its Officials

An Abuja Federal High Court Judge, Justice A.R. Mohammed, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to report to the court on April 7, 2021 and show cause over the alleged continued harassment and disturbance of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization, its officers, staff and associates.

The three security agencies together with one Pretty Okafor and Biodun Eguakhidewere ordered to show cause over the alleged continued disturbance and harassment of the COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji; the General Manager, Ms. Bernice Eriemeghe and two other officers of COSON, Mr. Vincent Adawaisi and Ms. Anne Okomi.

The orderof Justice Mohammed is based on a motion ex-parte filed on behalf of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, Ms. Bernice Eriemeghe, Mr. Vincent Adawaisi and Ms. Anne Okomi by their lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu of the Lagos law firm of WhiteDove Solicitors.The motion was argued before Justice Mohammed by Abuja based COSON lawyer, Mr. Bamiyi Adejo.

In the substantive suit, COSON, its Chairman and Management staff are asking the court for a declaration that the Inspector-General of Police, Pretty Okafor, Biodun Eguakide, DSS and EFCC have been engaged in an unlawful, unconstitutional and coordinated brutal, horrendous, wicked, harassment and torture of the plaintiffs who are innocent citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The plaintiffs have asked the court for general damages in the sum of N5,000,000,000.00 (Five billion Naira) jointly and severally against the 1^st to 5^th Defendants in the suit and a perpetual injunction.

The COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, is also asking for General Damages in the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira only) against the Inspector-General of Police for defamation of character and the sum of N5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira only) for the unlawful, unconstitutional and coordinated brutal, horrendous, wicked, harassment and torture of his person.

Chief Okoroji furthermore is demanding General Damages in the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (2 Billion Naira only) against Stanbic IBTC Bank for the unlawful freezing of his two accounts domiciled in the bank.

It will be recalled that there was a major protest to the Inspector General of Police by significant creative industry personalities over the controversial attempt to abduct Chief Tony Okoroji last December by 5 policemen from Zone 5 Police Command, Benin -City and their plan to drive the celebrated former President of PMAN, syndicated columnist and the continent’s master of copyright, to Benin-City in the middle of the night at a time it was well known that Chief Okoroji has been ill.

Speaking on the development, renowned COSON lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu said, “this is a big warning to those who believe that at a time when the nation is facing terrible security challenges, they would rather divert the attention of the agencies of state and use them to terrorize innocent citizens and drive a great Nigerian like Chief Tony Okoroji out of town so as to take over the institution he has built. This is pure madness! The harder they come, the harder they will fall. One by one, they will end up in the hole they have dug.”