Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has demanded for the removal of Malam Abubakar Jijiwa, director general of Voice of Nigeria (VON) over the recent threat by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) to ban the broadcast of music of Nigerian artistes on Nigerian radio and TV stations.
The board which rose from a meeting in Lagos reassured all members and affiliates of COSON that Nigeria is not a banana republic and that no one can stop them from being heard in their country.
Present at the meeting which held at the board room of COSON in Opebi were Mr. Obi Asika of Storm 360, Mr. Audu Maikori of Chocolate City Music, Mr. Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik, Mr. Banky Wellington (Banky W) of Empire Mates Entertainment, Mr. Dare Fasasi (Baba Dee) of Naija Ninja Entertainment and Ms. Azeezat Allen of More Money Music.
Also, present at the meeting presided over by COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, were Hon. John Ewelukwa Udegbunam, National President, Music Label Owners & Recording Industries Association of Nigeria, Mr. Joel Ajayi of Gospel Choral Records and COSON General Manager, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji.
They reiterated the commitment of the society to using the instruments of the law to fully defend the rights of creative people in Nigeria and to promote the Nigerian nation to the world.
Saying that COSON will not be intimidated and will never act outside the law, it declared that COSON will work night and day, without fear or favour, to continue to promote the spirit of the COSON slogan, ‘Let the music pay!’ and that COSON will not relent in its effort to ensuring that musicians walk tall in Nigeria and earn a decent living for their work.
On the repeated BON broadcasts that COSON has been engaged in incessant and continuous harassment, intimidation, blackmail and attack on broadcasting stations over un-negotiated payment of licensing fees, the Board directed that COSON solicitors be instructed to demand an immediate retraction of the blatantly false and unfounded broadcast aimed at tarnishing the image of COSON, from Malam Abubakar Jijiwa, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria and Chairman of BON, failing which legal action should be commenced against Malam Jijiwa.
The Board recalled its earlier request upon the Attorney-General of the Federation to investigate how the leadership of BON led by a paid employee of the Federal Government, Jijiwa, is taking active steps to truncate the criminal trial of the unapproved MCSN and six of its officials which trial is being conducted by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), an agency of the Federal Government.
The COSON Board decided that the time has come to ask Jijiwa to step aside as Director General of VON as his open affront on the policies and decisions of the government paying his salaries are baffling and inexplicable and the fire he is allowing himself to be used to stoke can lead to consequences that the Nigerian nation will regret.
The board also reassured all public and commercial users of music in Nigeria that they have nothing to fear from COSON as long as they take the necessary steps to pay royalties for the music used in their operations just as it reminded the public that COSON does not have the power to impose a tariff on anyone and asked everyone who may disagree with any tariff issued by COSON to apply to NCC to set up a panel to review such tariff in accordance with the provisions in the Copyright (Collective Management Organization) Regulations, 2007.