Chief Tony
Okoroji, Chairman of the Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON),
Nigeria’s biggest copyright collective management organization, is a man of
many parts. He was first heard of as a young singer when he released his first
album, ‘Super Sure’ as an 18-year-old. He went on to be the first Nigerian to
play all the musical instruments in a pop music album in his ‘Big-Big Sugar
Daddy’ album recorded in 1979 when there was neither digital technology nor
sequencing. Okoroji may have changed the direction of Nigerian music with the
release of his cross-over album, ‘Juliana’ which he recorded while he was a
Producer and Artiste & Repertoire Manager with the international recording
company, EMI. His songs, ‘Juliana’, ‘Oriaku’, ‘Mama & Papa’, ‘Locomotion’
and ‘Wishing You Well’ captured the imagination of many and influenced many
young musicians.
At 29 years old, Chief Okoroji was elected National President of Performing
Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and went on to transform the
little-known body into one of the nation’s most powerful professional
associations. As an activist leader, Okoroji mounted an unrelenting campaign
for the review of the nation’s copyright laws, organizing demonstrations and
rallies across the country which forced the hands of the military government.
He was eventually appointed by the Federal Government into the committees that
drafted both the Nigerian Copyright Law and its first amendment. He also led
the vanguard for the establishment of the Nigerian Copyright Commission and
served twice on the Board of the Commission. Chief Okoroji is today one of
Africa’s most respected authorities on Intellectual Property and continues to
be an unrelenting voice in the campaign for the rights of creative people
across the continent.
Chief Tony Okoroji created and launched the famous Nigerian Music Awards,
Africa’s first internationally respected entertainment award event which has
played host to Heads of State, Ambassadors, Ministers, Governors and stars from
all over the world. As a social activist, he has served in many capacities
including being a member of the Lagos State Police/Community Relations
Committee. For more than eight years, Chief Tony Okoroji has written the widely
syndicated weekly column, “SATURDAY BREAKFAST with TONY OKOROJI”, read across
the world.
Chief Okoroji attended College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu where he
obtained his West African School Certificate in Division One. He holds a Degree
in Business Administration from Delta State University where he graduated as
best student. He also holds both a Diploma in Business & Industrial Law and
an Advanced Diploma in Commercial Law & Practice from the University of
Lagos setting a record of graduating with a Distinction in both sets.
Chief Okoroji recently poured his heart out to Uzo Chikere of
www.beats-onit.com in this interview. Please read on:
Q. People
know you as a revolutionary manager of men, situations, and organizations in
the Nigerian entertainment sector, but now and again, you delve into
socio-political commentary. Why?
A. The fact that I have played music does not make me an idiot. We are all
stakeholders in the Nigerian enterprise whether we are politicians, civil
servants, journalists, carpenters or musicians. Every industry and every group
ultimately suffers from bad government and pays a price as a result. As a
manager of men, it has been clear to me that Nigeria is being very badly
managed and sometimes completely mismanaged or unmanaged. There are too many
small people wearing shoes that are too big for them. There is little
motivation for young Nigerians to seek to be the best they can be. Everything
has become ethnic, tribal or religious. The value system that propels or
inspires a nation to greatness has crumbled. We have become a patch-patch
nation struggling every day to deal with all kinds of man-made crisis. I cannot
see a strategic vision that can make us a respected nation. I have some followership,
so I have a duty to speak up. We all have a duty to speak up in a constructive
manner.
You will recall that three years ago, I did a one-man demonstration for several
days in front of the Federal High Court in Lagos. I raised alarm because I saw
the rule of law crumbling and the courts being shackled. Three years ago, mine
was a I voice in the wilderness. Today, I see JUSUN with the support of the
lawyers go on strike for judicial autonomy and the courts locked up for weeks.
Can you
reconcile Tony Okoroji the creative entertainer and Tony Okoroji the
nationalist?
A. If I am a nationalist, I have not done something that other artistes before
me have not done. Fela was a nationalist. Sonny Okosun was a nationalist. So
was my brother and great friend, Ras Kimono. What may be different is that I do
not only write songs, I write prose and have maintained newspaper and social
media columns for several years and there are many people who follow what I
write.
What drives
you?
A. Love of God’s children and the determination to be the best in whatever I
do. I do not accept that there is anything that a man can conceive that he
cannot achieve. I also do not accept that as a people, we are inferior to any
other group of people in the world. I do not tolerate mediocrity. Every task or
assignment I have had to handle, I give 24 hours attention. I enjoy work. Those
around me may even tell you that I am a workaholic. To me, a straight line is a
straight line and a curve is a curve. I do not accept any curve as a straight
line. Twelve o’clock is twelve o’clock. A minute after twelve is not twelve
o’clock. I challenge everyone around me to find it in themselves to do a better
job than they are doing and usually they do. It is in the same way that I
challenge myself. I am not driven by personal wealth. I have no interest in
owning many houses across the world. Indeed, the only house I own is my
unfinished building in my village. Much of the work I have done in my career I
have done for the good of the society and for free. I earn a living from 20% of
the work that I do. I have said repeatedly that I drive on a full tank of faith
and that love is my engine oil. I have very strong faith that if what I am
doing is for the love of God’s children, failure is impossible.
Q. You have been attacked relentlessly by a certain group within the music
industry with all kinds of accusations. How do you handle such attacks?
A.I laugh at them and pray that I continue to love the attackers. If not for
the challenges of our nation, I will tell you that I am the happiest man alive.
The reason is simple: every day, I engage myself fully in doing good. At the
end of the day, I am so busy that I have no time for negative thoughts. I am
fulfilled because I use my time well and spread as much love as I can.
If you see a lot of people throwing stones at a tree, check the tree. It must
have a lot of ripe fruits. I am humbled by what the Almighty has done with my
life, giving me the ability to touch the lives of other people positively.
I understand the lack of self-esteem, envy, jealousy and covetousness that
propel the hatred in those who have done nothing for anyone but are so ready to
fight those who are doing their best to improve the lives of others. If I was a
failure, they would have ignored me. I know the conmen and charlatans who are
desperate to kidnap the music industry. They enter the COSON House in Ikeja and
are dazzled by its magnificence and beauty. They cannot believe that such an
edifice was built in Nigeria for the musicians of Nigeria without any
government contribution or bank loan. Rather than try to replicate it, they
deploy their Facebook and WhatsApp platforms to diminish the people who made it
possible so that they can acquire what they never worked for.
During the Coronavirus nationwide lock down of last year, there was clear
anguish within the music industry as there was no income for anybody. To reduce
the suffering, the COSON Board decided to send palliatives to thousands of our
members across the country. This came to several millions of naira. We were the
first national association to take such a step. I personally called hundreds of
COSON members to make sure they got the money. This made our members very
happy.
It is no longer news that in December, I was abducted by 5 fierce looking men
with plans to take me away to Benin-City in the middle of the night. The
miscreants write petitions upon petitions upon petitions to Police, EFCC, DSS
and co, the same people you talk about, saying that the money which was paid by
bank transfer to thousands of musicians in Nigeria, with incontrovertible
records, was never paid! They run from high courts to magistrate courts and
very soon, maybe they will go to customary and sharia courts looking for court
orders to freeze our accounts and make our lives unbearable. I am sure that you
know that without my being contacted, they enticed law enforcement agents who
at this time should concentrate on the biting security problems in the country,
to freeze my personal bank accounts and even my corporate accounts. I know that
they will be shocked to find out that there is no big money or “proceeds of
crime” in any of my accounts. I went to the Police in Benin City to confront
the so-called petitioners and they all ran away. They were nowhere to be found.
They have thrown every evil at me. Their plan is to break me by all means. It
is all so laughable because they are not my God.
Q. So with all your bank accounts frozen, how are you surviving?
A. The birds of the air have no bank accounts. The fish in the rivers have no
bank accounts but they all survive. I did not come into this world with any
bank account. When push comes to shove, you will realize that there is so much
without which life will go on. I repeat that I drive on a full tank of faith and
love is my engine oil.
Q. You have been known through the years as a singer, producer, PMAN President
and now COSON chair. How have you managed to evolve through the years?
A. I have also been a member of the committee that drafted the Nigerian
Copyright Act. I have served on the Board of the Nigerian Copyright Commission.
I am also author of the text-book, ‘Copyright & the New Millionaires’, a
pre-eminent material for teaching the complex subject of copyright, a book that
is being used by judges and lawyers to resolve copyright disputes. I have also
travelled extensively to lecture large groups of people in different parts of
the world on the subject of copyright. I am a great believer that intellect and
knowledge drive the world. I am a voracious reader and would not enter a
meeting, discussion or negotiation without first thoroughly studying and
researching the subject. I want to always be very well prepared. Whether as
PMAN President or Chairman of COSON, I never went into any negotiation where my
team was not the most prepared. Both as a producer of music and a producer of
complex events, I have learnt that preparation is everything. I do not work on
conjecture.
Q. How has the emergence of COSON affected the creative environment?
A. Prior to the emergence of COSON, very few in Nigeria cared about the
performing rights of any Nigerian artiste. Our music was used freely by almost
everyone. Nigerians can bear witness that due to the painstaking work done by
COSON, the attitude has changed tremendously and most people in Nigeria now
know that intellectual property has value.
Not in any financial year since COSON began operations has COSON failed to have its accounts professionally audited and all necessary details sent to our members, filed with the Corporate Affairs Commission and the International Confederation of Authors’ Societies (CISAC) of which COSON is a member. COSON has never filed any of these details out of time.
In the attempt to destroy our image, there was a recent propaganda campaign on social media for a forensic audit of COSON despite the 10 years of unblemished statutory audits, which no other organization in the Nigerian creative industry can boast of. Last year, our Board invited one of the most respected auditing firms in the world, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) to do a forensic audit of COSON. For eight months, PWC has scrutinized thousands of financial records at COSON, receipts, vouchers, meeting records, cheques, resolutions, audited financial statements, etc. PWC has had unfettered access to every COSON bank account and has interviewed every relevant COSON personnel. We, in fact, provided the PWC officials an office at COSON House to facilitate their audit. I have seen the PWC Report and I am exceedingly proud that we did not in any way let ourselves or our members down. I challenge other organizations in the creative industry, including the Nigerian Copyright Commission, to subject themselves to this level of scrutiny.
It is important to make it clear that COSON is not a profit-making organization and has never received a penny from the Nigerian government. No member of COSON pays a penny to join the society. There are no dues or subscription fees of any type. With the checks and balances we have put in place, I can say with certainty that no COSON member can lose one penny due to him from the society. We are very-very thorough. There is this assumption that every Nigerian organization is corrupt and ineffective.
