THE ‘COSON HOUSE’ DREAM BECOMES A REALITY

In a few weeks, precisely on May 20, 2017 the ultra-modern ‘COSON HOUSE’ will be commissioned at Oluwaleyimu Street, off Allen Avenue in Ikeja. For several months, construction has been going on practically 24 hours every day to ensure that COSON House is ready to mark the 7^th Anniversary of the copyright revolution in the Nigerian music industry which began with the government approval of COSON on May 20, 2010.

On Saturday May 20,  we will not just be celebrating the opening of a new building in Lagos. We will be celebrating the culmination of a life time of struggle for every artiste and every creative person in Nigeria to whom COSON House belongs.

Those who are close certainly 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 of you who are close understand the let downs and betrayals on every mile of this struggle.

COSON HOUSE may 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. In the Nigerian creative sector ravaged by instability and low expectations however, to assemble the consensus and drive the resources for such an undertaking in the present economic situation, is not a joke. The commissioning of COSON House is therefore a very momentous event for every Nigerian artiste. Many might not know but COSON House is the first real property of any significance owned by any organization, association or union in the history of the Nigerian creative sector.

According to COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, ‘it is instructive that we did not get one Naira assistance from the federal government or any Nigerian government at all to finance COSON House. We did not get one dollar from any donor agency or any foreign institution to build COSON House. It is also instructive that we did not take a loan of any type from any bank to finance COSON House. I am proud to say that when the ultra- modern COSON House is commissioned on May 20, we will not be owing a penny on the building or on any of the facilities contained therein. The building and facilities within COSON House fully belong to musicians across Nigeria and other stakeholders in the music industry, forever without any encumbrance whatsoever.’’

The COSON House is not just set up a building that will house the corporate headquarters but has assembled compact facilities for study, research, training, retraining 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.

In COSON House, a hub has been created for all those who want to understand the intriguing subject of copyright and other forms of intellectual property.

It is therefore with joy that we call on you and every Nigerian to celebrate with us on May 20 as we rejoice over the commissioning of COSON House.