The legal management board of Copyright Society of Nigeria
COSON after an emergency board meeting on Thursday, May 16, 2019 has passed a
resolution directing the management of the CMO to formally apply for the
renewal of its operating licence with immediate effect.
This was contained in a release signed by the board and made
available to the media.
By 5:00 PM on Monday 20th May, 2019, the operating licence
of COSON would have expired making it criminal for the once widely admired
collective management organisation to collect licensing fees on behalf of
thousands of rights owners.
While this ugly eventuality may appear to offer short term
breather for the embattled Tony Okoroji and his cronies whose intransigence
have resulted in the suspension of the license since April 2018, it is a major
setback for writers, composers, performers, labels and publishers whose works
and investment produce the music that drives many a business within and outside
Nigeria.
Since his illegal hijack of the reins of the management
board of COSON on December 19, 2017, Tony Okoroji has superintended COSON’s
free fall into crisis, ignominy and criminality. The loss of credibility and
suspension of its licence have resulted in dwindling collection. Tens of
millions of distributable income have been channelled into a mindless legal and
media war of attrition more in a bid to maintain Okoroji’s illegal stranglehold
of the reins and ensure his personal survival than to protect the interest of
right owners.
It has become a matter of necessity for the stakeholders,
represented by the legal COSON Board comprising Efe Omorogbe, Joel Ajayi,
Sikiru Agboola, Obi Asika, Dare Fasasi and Audu Maikori to direct management to
apply for renewal of the operating licence of COSON with immediate effect.
The board and members hereby issues a stern warning to the
management of COSON that the consequences of conniving with Okoroji, puppet
members of his rogue-board and toxic acolytes to strip the society of its
hard-earned approval thereby depriving members of their duly earned royalties,
will be dire.
“Every one shall be held accountable for his or her role in
this sordid drama and make no mistake, everyone will pay for their actions,”
the legal board threatened.
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