COMING SOON: THE COSON HOUSE DREAM BECOMES A REALITY

SATURDAY BREAKFAST with TONY OKOROJI
COMING SOON: THE COSON HOUSE DREAM BECOMES A REALITY
In a few weeks, precisely on May 20, the ultra-modern COSON HOUSE will be commissioned in Lagos. For this songwriter and singer turned intellectual property activist, we are not just talking about another building but the culmination of a life time of struggle, a dream come true.
Those who are close will understand the level of sacrifice and pain it has taken to get to a place where Copyright Society of Nigeria is working for otherwise hapless musicians across the nation and across the world and fighting their fights. Those who are close will tell you about the let downs and betrayals on every mile of this struggle.
COSON HOUSE probably would not be seen as a significant achievement in other professions and industries where access to resources is not so difficult and stable structures have existed over time. Believe me, in the Nigerian creative sector ravaged by infighting and poor leadership, to assemble the consensus and drive the resources for such an undertaking is not ‘beans’.
It is instructive that we did not get one Naira from the federal government or any Nigerian government at all to finance COSON HOUSE. Not one dollar came from a donor agency or any foreign institution, not even the Chinese who appear to be doling out money to build everything. We did not take a loan of any type from any bank. When COSON HOUSE is commissioned on May 20, we will not be owing a penny on the building and it will fully belong to musicians across Nigeria and other stakeholders in the music industry, without any encumbrances.
We have not just set up a building that will house our corporate headquarters but assembled compact facilities for study, research, training and continuous dissemination of information that will ensure that the concept of intellectual property takes root in our fatherland and that Nigeria becomes an important player in the new global knowledge economy. COSON House will steadily host lectures, workshops, seminars and conferences on the subject of intellectual property. The remote conferencing facilities will bring experts from around the world to speak to people in Nigeria on the knowledge economy. The state of the art audio visual facilities will record and transmit images from COSON House to the world.
By the way, May 20 will mark the seventh anniversary of the government approval of COSON. I don’t think that at the beginning, anyone gave us a chance. So, how is it that with the extremely hard resistance of users of music to the payment of copyright royalties in Nigeria COSON has been able to distribute hundreds of millions of naira to thousands of musicians in Nigeria and beyond while none of its two other sister approved collecting societies has distributed one kobo? How exactly has COSON concluded negotions with the broadcast industry, the hotel industry and entered into reciprocal representation agreements with over 140 collective management organizations in every corner of the globe? You may want to ask: how has COSON ensured stability in its structures in seven years without the usual bickering and squabbling that creative industry organizations are notorious for?
The answer, my friends, is not blowing in the wind. TRUST is the key word. Between the leadership and the led, there must be trust. I guess I use the word, leadership, because it has become customary. To me, the correct word should be servant because I believe that every leader is indeed a servant and must see himself or herself as such. The trust is strengthened if there is transparency, accountability and respect for the rules establishing the group. The servant must also have clarity of purpose or objectives of the group and have the passion and a never-say-die spirit to see to the achievement of the objectives. Keep your hands clean and you will not make yourself a target of blackmail and will not lack the liver to make tough decisions.
At COSON, it is very well known that I am a stickler for details in every form. Everyone knows that every year, we must send our detailed audited accounts and annual returns before the due date to each of our thousands of members who are the true owners of COSON, the Corporate Affairs Commission that registered COSON, the Nigerian Copyright Commission that approved COSON, the International Confederation of Authors Societies (CISAC) of which COSON is a member and other sundry organizations to which COSON is affiliated. Every query arising from the reports we send must be answered.
I believe that what applies to COSON should apply to every political institution in the country, governments, churches, trade unions, social clubs, etc. I worry because Nigeria is suffering from a serious trust deficit. In the main, the citizens do not trust the government and the government does not trust the citizens; the congregations do not trust their pastors and the pastors do not trust their congregations; union members do not trust their leaders and the leaders are suspicious of the members, on and on. The unity of purpose required to tackle serious challenges is lacking so our nation moves like a car with a burnt clutch. You fire the car, burn up fuel, make a lot of noise, spew so much smoke into the air but the car is not going anywhere.
Every day that I am in Lagos, I go to COSON HOUSE to witness the construction going on and to ensure that we have facilities that will get our job done. Call me a micro manager but I want to be sure that every tile is aligned, every switch is in agreement, every door handle is tight, the audio is crisp, the visuals are sharp and the air conditioner cools as it should. Some days, I call the Project Manager ten times. In every block, every Plaster of Paris, every pillar at COSON HOUSE is a part of me. Not too long ago, we could not even dream of it. In six weeks, it should be a reality. It is evidence, that fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with Nigerians. We can get things done.
See you next week.