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;  former  National music 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.

FOR COSON:

 

 

 

 

 

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.”

 

ANGRY FRIENDS OF TONY OKOROJI PROTEST THE ABORTED ABDUCTION OF THE COSON CHAIRMAN BY POLICEMEN FROM BENIN-CITY

 

A group of very angry friends of the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji, has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu,vehemently protesting the treatment meted out to Chief Okoroji in Lagos on Monday, December 14, 2020 by men said to be from Zone 5 Police Command, Benin City.

 

In the letter copied to President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and several ministers, the “Friends of Chief Tony Okoroji” wrote: “The manner of the aborted abduction of this renowned patriot, celebrated former President of PMAN and author who is the continent’s most profound campaigner for the rights of creative people, is condemnable and needs to be investigated.

“It is our view that it is this kind of abuse by law enforcement agents that led to the #Endsars protest that resulted in huge consequences for the nation”.

Among those who endorsed the protest letter are famed actor and broadcaster, Mr. Patrick Doyle; music legend, Sir Shina Peters; London based Nigerian popstar and Pastor of Power Church International, Dizzy k. Falola; Pastor Eliashib Ime James, Founding Minister of Christ Publishers Ministry and Gospel Singer, Kenny Saint Brown.

 

In the protest letter, several questions were raised and proposed to be answered by an investigation. The questions are the following:

1.     Did the Police in Benin City at any time invite Chief Tony Okoroji to Benin and he failed to honour the invitation, thereby necessitating the Gestapo style abduction in Lagos by five policemen from Benin? We ask because knowing Chief Okoroji, he would never dishonour any invitation by the police.

 

2.     At a time of significant violent crime in the country, were scarce funds belonging to the police expended in sending five policemen from Benin to Lagos including hiring of a bus and accommodation for the five officers just to drag Chief Okoroji to Benin when a telephone call would have sufficed? If not, who funded the failed operation and what is the interest of the person or persons?

 

3.     Was there any investigation into the jaundiced petition against Chief Okoroji to establish its merit or is it now the practice that once a petition is written against any Nigerian citizen, the police is programed to arrest him or her? We ask this because we know Chief Okoroji to be a Nigerian of Impeccable character not given to shady dealings.

 

4.     Is it not clear that if Chief Okoroji had not made contacts on the phone, after six hours of being held at the Police Area ‘F’ Ikeja, he would have been whisked off at unholy hours to Benin-City just in the clothes he was wearing, without having a bath, with no food, with none of his medications at a time it is public knowledge that he is very sick and without any money whatsoever and anything could have been said to have happened to him on the way?

 

5.     Who is behind this wicked plan against an illustrious Nigerian citizen; to humiliate him and maybe waste his life away and who gave the orders for the operation?

 

6.     Was Okoroji accused of murder, armed robbery or treason to justify this barbaric treatment and how many Nigerians who have no right telephone numbers to call are treated this way and maybe die in the process?

The authors of the letter to the Inspector – General have asked that the matter should receive the urgent attention it deserves as they do not intend to keep quiet until the perpetrators of the dastardly act are unearthed and shamed as they truly deserve. They also stated that Chief Okoroji deserves the apology of the police.

It will be recalled that there was a deluge of reports all over social media on December 15 that Chief Okoroji had been arrested and taken to Benin-City for questioning. Unknown to the publishers of the reports, the attempt to whisk Chief Okoroji to Benin City had failed and Okoroji spent the day in Lagos where he presided over the previously scheduled Board Meeting and AGM of COSON, the nation’s biggest copyright collective management organization.

FOR COSON

TOLU BALOGUN

 

This week, the good Lord once again showed me His awesome powers against the devil.

I have written in Saturday Breakfast about my recent health challenges. For seven weeks I was unable to go to my office at TOPS or visit COSON House where I am Chairman of the Board.

Early Tuesday morning, I was at COSON House in Ikeja for the first time in weeks. I was at the boardroom, busy on my laptop preparing my address for the COSON Annual General Meeting scheduled to hold that day. Suddenly, my phone began to ring off the hook. Some hopeless persons had posted materials all over social media that I had been whisked off by the police from Lagos to Benin-City where I was supposedly being detained and quizzed for fraud!

Naturally, my friends and family were agitated, especially with my health condition. Everybody began to call everybody and alarm bells began to ring. The COSON communication people had to take an instant photograph of me at COSON House which they posted on social media to show that contrary to the fake news, I was live at work in Ikeja and not in any police dungeon in Benin - City. It was then that nerves began to calm.

I later the same day, I chaired a full meeting of the COSON Board and thereafter, a fantastic 10th Annual General Meeting of COSON, at the COSON House Arena. While the AGM was ongoing, another fake news story popped up all over social media declaring that COSON House had been sealed off by the police and the AGM which was streaming live to thousands of people on Zoom had been aborted! Unfortunately for the imbeciles, the COSON 2020 AGM turned out to be probably the most successful COSON AGM ever and photos from the AGM are everywhere for all to see. Nobody sealed off COSON House. There was no reason whatsoever to do so.

I instantly knew who was behind the stupid and desperate scheme to discredit me, take over the COSON AGM or abort it. I know the make-up of the Yahoo-Yahoo Gang, who so badly want to milk the music industry and feast on music copyright at the expense of the true musicians of Nigeria. While they deploy some innocent musicians in their scam, none of the ring leaders is a musician. They are all carpet baggers and opportunists who consider music copyright their new gold mine and musicians their “mugu”.

Their problem during the week was that in their desperation, they counted their chickens before they were hatched.

There was indeed a diabolical plan to ‘arrest’ me in Lagos, quickly drive me all night to Benin City, get a magistrate to remand me on some trumped up charge and lock me up in Benin, through my birthday, December 22, the Christmas and the New Year celebrations. The fact that my health is presently not very good made the wicked plan more sumptuous to the chief architect of this madness for which a large some of money had been made available. The plan was that if I died in detention, the better!

The chief architect of the evil plan lives in Benin City. He so badly wants to make himself the emperor of music copyright in Nigeria, using the police to harass and intimate organizations and individuals to pay money to him for music which he neither owns nor has been assigned to him. He has no visible source of livelihood. He wants to milk the music industry and feast on music copyright and become rich at the expense of the musicians of Nigeria. I have been identified as the major block to his mad ambition and I have to be taken care of.

The first stage of their plan may have worked. On Monday evening, I was accosted by four men in front of my TOPS office which I was visiting for the first time in weeks. They said they were police officers from Benin City and that I had to follow them to Area F Police station in Ikeja. I immediately called James Ononiwu, the COSON lawyer and he came immediately and accompanied me to Area F. The plan was to detain me at Area F and drive me away to Benin City, early in the morning without food, without my drugs, without a bath, wearing the same clothes. The plan failed.

I made some calls and instructions were given to the policemen to let me go. My traducers did not know what had happened. They were already celebrating. They could not wait to see my downfall and had sent the word to their social media hacks that I had been arrested and was being “quizzed” in Benin. Early morning on Tuesday while I was at COSON House Ikeja, they went to town with their fake news.

I flew to Benin City on Wednesday on my own volition. I went to Benin to confront the buffoon who signed the lousy petition they concocted and used to try to bring me down. Their stupid story is that I pocketed the coronavirus distribution which COSON sent as palliatives to its thousands of members during the COVID 19 lockdown. The coward was invited by the police in Benin to show how but failed to show up. In Benin City, I was treated with every courtesy by the police.

Fortunately, of the thousands of COSON members who got the palliative, nobody was paid in cash. It was all done by bank transfer. The records are there of all the people, their bank details, when they received the money, etc. In the distribution, there was no rancour or quarrel whatsoever. I am proud of the way it was done. If you know any member of COSON, you can please ask him if he got the COSON Covid 19 palliative.

I hear that the stupid people want to blackmail the police AIG in Benin. They tried to use him and it did not work. Now, they are floating another fake story that I gave the AIG N10 million to protect me! Protect me from what? If I have N10 million, I will not give it to the police. I have poor people in my village who need money. I have an unfinished building in my village that needs money.

Whoever funded the embarrassing and historic failure of the Yahoo-Yahoo Gang of the music industry this week must ask for his money back. They are a letdown. Chai!

See you next week.