LOCOMOTION 3: ON THE WAY FROM ABEOKUTA - TONY OKOROJI

I am reliably informed that all roads led to Abeokuta, the beautiful capital city of Ogun State earlier this week as our kit and kin in the broadcast industry all dressed to finish headed to the Olumo rock city to show off their new attires and new rides. The big event was the General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON).

I do not belong to the broadcast industry but I have attended more General Assemblies of BON than I need. I was at the 41^st BON General Assembly which took place at Gateway TV Broadcasting Hall in the same Abeokuta on December 1, 2005. I remember that trip to Abeokuta in the company of the great highlife saxophonist, Chris Ajilo who is now 88 years old. Chris Ajilo was then General Manager of Performing & Mechanical Rights Society (PMRS). Also on the trip to Abeokuta was young ChineduChukwuji who had joined PMRS not long before with the big dreams of every young man. Our ‘driver’ on the way to Abeokuta was ace music producer and acclaimed drummer, Laolu Akinswho was my colleague on the Board of PMRS. Akins had driven us in his Toyota Camry, the most presentable car to be found among us at that time.

I remember Abeokuta in 2005 as if it was today because the same self-serving excuses that were made in 2005 are still being made today. In Abeokuta, there was a lot of back slapping and self-adulation, the kind that takes place whenever a group of Africans who believe that they have extricated themselves from the abject poverty in which the rest of their kin are gripped, get together.  There were several flowery speeches during which not a few people dosed off. 

Eight years ago in Abeokuta, I was asked to tell the gathering why broadcast stations in Nigeria should pay royalties for the music deployed by them. I spoke with all the passion I could muster, at some points almost in tears. I reminded them that what we were talking about wasnot just my personal wish but Nigerian law. I begged them to obey the law. I asked which of them would be comfortable to invest his labour and talent and watch other people every day exploit that labour without any compensation.

I reminded them of the over 50 meetings I had held on the same subject with people in the broadcast industry starting from 1987 when I was first elected President of PMAN at 29 years old and how each time the broadcast industry had found excuses to kick the can down the road. I begged them to find the will in Abeokuta to do that which is the practice in every civilized nation and pay musicians and the music industry their dues. They clapped for me and assured me that a ‘committee’ would be set up to deal with the matter without delay.

I was not in Abeokuta for the 59^thBON General Assembly which took place this week. I was not invited, did not expect to be invited and would have not bothered with such an event but I can be sure that they have set up another ‘committee’ to study the matter. Without being there, I can bet that Tony Okoroji would have been called all kinds of names for asking that broadcast stations in Nigeria obey the law and pay the dues they owe musicians and the music industry. I have no doubt that someone would have complained that ‘Okoroji is taking this thing too personally!’ and cite that as a reason why they should not fulfil their legal and moral obligations to fellow citizens.

I have not seen a communique from this week’s BON General Assembly but I will not be surprised if they contain the old excuses and manufactured new excuses for their embarrassing failureand down-right robbery of the intellectual property of fellow citizens. For instance, they will tell you that they do not know who in Nigeria to pay to even when Google in America knows who in Nigeria to pay to, Multichoice in South Africa knows who in Nigeria to pay to and FRCN in the same Radio House Abuja building where BON has its headquarters knows who in Nigeria to pay to. It is not unlike them to cite a phantom court case that has tied their hands but they will not tell you the case number or the issues in the case. They dare not ask the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) which is just ten minutes drive down the road what they should do. The NCC is the Federal Government agency statutorily charged with all copyright matters in the country but BON is afraid of talking to or recognizing the authority of the NCC because they want to hide under their self-imposed ignorance to continue their day light robbery.

I am sure that some people at BON who may not know all the facts will wonder why I talk about BON these days with very little respect. The truth is that I have little respect for anyone who has no respect for himself. I wonder if the people at BON even check their own records. If they do, they should read the communique of the 21^st BON General Assembly sponsored by DAAR Communication which took place at Airport Hotel, Lagos on 27^th February 1997. They may also check out the communique of the 22^nd General Assembly which commenced in Enugu on 10^th July 1997 and that of Kano (the 33^rd General Assembly) which began on December 11, 2002. I ask them to particularly read the communique of the 35^th BON General Assembly which commenced in Kaduna on December 14, 2003.Do they not notice the massive contradictions in their positions and the blatant lies they have fed the public? Of course, I was at the BON 53^rd General Assembly from 15^thto 17^th September 2010 in Awka where at the end, it was still all motion and no movement.

Since we began this crazy journey with BON, the Soviet Union has become 12 thriving nations, East and West Germany have become one country, the Federal government has moved from Lagos to Abuja, the third mainland bridge in Lagos has been completed. If BON is truly honest about it, what is so difficult about paying royalties for the music you use that it will take countless committees over so many years? I welcome the pilgrims from Abeokuta and hope that they had a good time. See you next week.

N.B. THE LOCOMOTION SERIES IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN SATURDAY INDEPENDENT ON PAGE 37