I read with utmost disgust your
recent letter to COSON widely published on the Internet in which you attempted
to give instructions to COSON, an independent private sector organization, as
if COSON is a department under your Commission.
For the avoidance of doubt, I
presided over the meeting of the members of COSON held in Lagos on December 19,
2017 at which meeting; COSON members, all over Nigeria freely and unanimously
in one voice, restored Chief Tony Okoroji as Chairman of our Society. It was
clear to me that every well-meaning member of COSON who attended the meeting
was angered by the decision of the purported removal of Chief Okoroji by six
members of the Society on December 7, 2017. The removal of Okoroji was an
attempt to hijack COSON at a critical period in its history and destroy our
fledging organization, the same way PMAN was destroyed.
Absolutely, the interest of
these six individuals cannot override that of the thousands of COSON members,
affiliates and foreign reciprocal partners who are overwhelmingly impressed and
satisfied with the incredible personal sacrifice and leadership of Chief Tony
Okoroji who has built COSON and made it a model and a source of pride to the
creative community in Nigeria.
Just for the records, I am PROF.
SIR VICTOR UWAIFO JP, MON. I am 76 years old. I am a musician, well known all
over the world, a composer with a rich repertoire of musical works and sound
recordings, an intellectual, a professor of Fine and Applied Arts, a key
founding member of COSON and a subscriber to the COSON Memorandum &
Articles of Association. I have served on the Board of COSON, been involved
with the progress made by COSON in the last 7years under the inspirational
leadership and energy of an uncommon Nigerian and with your invisible presence as Director-General of
the NCC. I have also held several distinguished political appointments.
If I wanted to be sectional or
parochial, I would have thrown my weight behind Mr. Efe Omorogbe who is from my
State and with whom I have an ongoing close professional relationship. At my
age, if I had done that, I would have done a disservice to generations of
Nigerian musicians and investors in the music industry and my conscience would
not be at rest.
Despite my close relationship
with Efe Omorogbe, he is not the choice of COSON members at this time and no
one in Abuja or elsewhere can change that.
I have read the letter written
to you by the Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami ordering you to approve another CMO in the same class of works
administered by COSON so as to create commotion within our industry and wipe
out the most successful organization in the history of the Nigerian Creative
Industry.
Anybody reading the letter from
the AGF can immediately see that you know that the order given to you is both
unlawful and ultra vires. You however did not have the courage to refuse to carry
out this unlawful order. The commotion caused by your action has set in what
appears to be a conspiracy to get rid of Chief Tony Okoroji, the one man you
all know has the knowledge, experience, personal conviction and courage to
resist the seeming plan to shake down users of music content across Nigeria in
billions of Naira and set our industry back.
Your letter dated February 19,
2018 addressed to the General Manager of COSON, REF: NCC/DG/132/1/66 which went
virile on the social media even before it got to the recipient is a clear
testimony of bad faith on your part in the handling of the affairs of COSON.
Since your letter to COSON was widely published to inflict the greatest injury,
I have no choice but to ensure that this letter is also widely published in the
internet to set the records straight.
As a Commission, one would have
expected that you will be more concerned over the other moribund Collecting
Societies that were approved several years ago by the commission with nothing
to show and the biting piracy militating against the creative industry rather
than meddling and destabilizing COSON which is being run professionally and
which has the requisite capacity to deal with its internal issues.
I do not know how much you are
aware of the history of the Nigerian Copyright Commission which you now head
and from which you are issuing orders as if you are God Almighty. It was the
same Chief Tony Okoroji that galvanized the entire nation with unsurpassed
advocacy and massive demonstrations in Nigeria that forced the government to
promulgate the copyright law. The young man risked his life for this. He could
have been killed by the military government at that time. He participated in
drafting the Copyright law with the help of others like Prof. Egerton Ovieghara
who became the first Chairman of the NCC. Chief Okoroji’s successful agitation
culminated in the setting up of the NCC.
It follows that everyone
employed by the NCC including yourself and the many thousands who today benefit
from the copyright system in our nation owe this unique Nigerian a debt of
gratitude. Sadly, there appears to be concerted effort to destroy his good name
and character to achieve a perfidious objective.
It is important to reemphasize
that you stay away and refuse to be used anymore as a tool in any action that
can lead to the instability and possible disintegration of COSON, Nigeria’s
most successful organization in the creative industry ever. Please avoid any
friction between the members of COSON and the leadership of your Commission
which will serve no good.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Chairman of COSON freely chosen by the members of COSON is Chief Tony Okoroji.
We have tried him and found him worthy of our trust.
A word is enough for the wise!
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
PROF. (SIR) VICTOR UWAIFO JP,
MON
CC: President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR
President of Nigeria
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN)
Vice President of Nigeria
Senator Bukola Saraki
President of the Senate, Federal
Republic of Nigeria
Hon. Justice Walter S.N. Onnoghen
Chief Justice of Nigeria
Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara
Speaker, House of Representatives
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Hon. Minister of Information &
Culture
Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama
Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs
Your
Excellencies, the above is for your information and necessary actions, please.
PROF. (SIR) VICTOR UWAIFO JP,
MON
