COSON boss Tony Okoroji
The Tony Okoroji-led Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) on Wednesday, April 8, decided to distribute the sum of eleven thousand naira (N11,000) to Nigerian musicians.
Okoroji said the money to be evenly distributed was meant to cushion the effect of the ongoing lockdown in the country on the musicians who are members of his musical body vested with the collection and distribution of loyalties accrued to musicians in the country.
He tagged the exercise “Anti-Coronavirus Emergency Relief (ACER) General Distribution” totaling N50 million for 450 musicians.
But some musicians in the country see the exercise as insulting, especially to the well-established ones among them, while some others see it as a gimmick employed by Okoroji to pacify musicians who are demanding for forensic audit of COSON to unravel alleged massive misappropriation of funds under Okoroji.
Similarly, some organised bodies in the country’s sub-sector have outrightly condemned the “Okoroji palliative” on same grounds.
One of such bodies is the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) which performs similar functions with COSON, but for music composers and songwriters.
Another body is the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) led by Pretty Okafor.
The struggling ones among them are however celebrating the N11,000 alert from COSON and are ready to defend Okoroji and his team to the last.
The first bomb was released by John Ewelukwa Udegbunam, a frontline member of COSON loyal to Okoroji who described Pretty Okafor as “the entertainment industry’s blatant Minister of Confusion, Disinformation & Fabrication”, for criticising Okoroji.
Also, COSON’s lawyer James Ononiwu, Esq., descended heavily on MCSN for daring to question ACER.
Ononiwu questioned: Why is this (N11,000 palliative) disturbing the sleep of these funny people at MCSN? Did COSON distribute MCSN money?”
Just see the trouble money has done to our stars and superstars.
Who will step in to separate this fight which is gradually turning to a full blown war in the nation’s creative industry?
NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.
