UDEGBUNAM BOMBS PRETTY OKAFOR, SAYS: COSON REMAINS SOLID AS A ROCK

Frontline COSON Board member, Honourable John Ewelukwa Udegbunam is angry at what he has termed a propaganda war unleashed by the factional leader of PMAN, Mr. Pretty Okafor and his cronies against COSON. In a scatting public statement, Udegbunam described Pretty Okafor as “the entertainment industry’s blatant Minister of Confusion, Disinformation & Fabrication”. The propaganda war which allegedly is being orchestrated from “Okafor’s decadent PMAN which has no known office address” is that there is ongoing significant withdrawal of rights from COSON in support of the action of the NCC against COSON which Udegbunam describes as totally misguided.

Until recently, Udegbunam was the National President of the powerful Music Label Owners & Recording Industries Association of Nigeria (MORAN), Nigeria’s biggest association of owners of copyright in sound recordings. From inception, he has been a member of the Management Board of COSON, Nigeria’s most respected and successful copyright collective management organization. He is a trained musicologist, composer, music teacher, producer and label owner and National Music Director of the Praise & Worship Ministry of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN).  

Hon. Udegbunam in his account states that the demarcation of rights is an everyday occurrence in collective management organizations across the world and that those who have recently demarcated their rights in COSON have a right to do so and COSON has no quarrel with them. In his words, “these right owners constitute less than 0.2% of the entire membership of COSON and to use this to mount the propaganda that members are running from COSON is very mischievous. I know for certain that no member of COSON has resigned his membership of the society in recent times rather, artistes continue to join COSON in droves because they know that COSON is solid, responsible, transparent and responsive and is in the frontline of stoutly defending the rights of its members and providing succor for them in their times of need. Without question, there is no other institution in the Nigerian creative industry like COSON”.

Continued Udegbunam, “I am aware that because of the ‘fire’ burning at the NCC in Abuja with the exposure of the frightening corruption and flagrant abuse of power of the leadership of that government institution, some charlatans who have sold their souls and the music industry for some pieces of silver have  been hired to throw stones at COSON in an effort to deflect the ongoing investigation of the activities of the DG of the NCC and destroy the image of COSON. They are working together with those who failed woefully in their attempt to hijack the leadership of COSON in 2017. We are not unaware that recently, Pretty Okafor, the Facebook PMAN President with minute followership, visited the very tainted NCC leadership in Abuja to receive his instructions. Their gambit to deflect attention from the investigation of the NCC DG will not work because the evidence against the DG is overwhelming and unassailable and nothing will stop the music industry from doing its sacred duty of continuously and vigorously drawing the attention of the Nigerian people, the international copyright community and the government to the corruption at the NCC until the law takes its proper course”

Asked the music industry leader popularly known as Eweson, “Is it not strange that Pretty Okafor never talks about PMAN which he purports to lead? All he sings about every day, from morning to night, is COSON of which he is not even a member and to which he has assigned no rights”. What exactly is Okafor’s claim to being a musician… is the chorus voice he did for his late friend, Junior, in “Bolanle”, recorded over 25 years ago?”

Without pulling any punches, Honourable Udegbunam says “with respect to the wild actions of the NCC against COSON, the issues are before a court of competent jurisdiction. Sooner or later, judgment will be delivered. Those who have followed COSON know that it is an organization that does not go to court in vain”.

He insists that he participated in the meeting of the COSON Board at which after vigorous discussions, it was unanimously decided that the NCC be sued since every attempt to get its leadership to respect the law and the independence of COSON has been thwarted.

Hon Udegbunam insists that the court action taken by COSON is creating desperation and fright within the enemies of the music industry as there is serious suspicion that at the end of the day, COSON will be proved right again and that is why the enemies of the music industry have ramped up what he describes as “their meaningless propaganda activities” which he is sure will crumble again.

The COSON Director concludes by saying, “For the avoidance of doubt, COSON remains solid as a rock and the members remain very proud of this phenomenal organization”