WHO IS THIS GODFATHER THAT IS SHIELDING THE NCC DG, JOHN ASEIN, FROM JUSTICE?

I have been reliably informed that Mr. John Ohireime Asein who was appointed Director – General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in January, 2019 has been openly boasting in Abuja that nobody can touch him despite the well known acts of unmitigated corruption and abuse of office he is alleged to be embroiled in. I am told that he is telling anyone who cares to listen, to forget the rule of law as he has a "solid" godfather who will make sure nothing happens to him!  Who is this almighty godfather who keeps John Asein above the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

Like the typical Nigerian public officer caught with both hands in the cookie jar, I know that Mr. Asein may have told his godfathers, friends and family that some people who are jealous of him are after him, maybe because of his good looks, the office he occupies, the state he comes from or his religious affiliation. I have also heard that he has told everyone he meets that Tony Okoroji is determined to take over his office. Believe me, I do not want Asein's job.

I am one of the most defamed Nigerian citizens. I understand the huge pain and consequences of defamation of character. I have had to go to court over and over again to clear my name. I will not write this piece to tarnish the name of an innocent man without evidence and without giving the man a chance to defend himself.

I gave John Asein a chance to defend himself. The fact is that in January this year, I received information that a civil society and anti-corruption group, Peace & Development for Africa Initiative was set to give Mr. Asien an ultimatum to resign his position or face prosecution for corruption and abuse of power. I was surprised because the development was in tandem with independent information which I had.  On January 30, 2020, I went to Abuja where I met Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, the Chairman of the NCC Governing Board. I showed Dr Jaja a document with very detailed and disturbing information about the conduct of Mr. Asein, his DG. After reading the document, Dr. Jaja was clearly very worried. He then placed a call inviting his DG to his office. In my presence, the document was handed over to Mr. Asein. As Mr. Asein read the document, I watched him. His hands were shaking. He was stammering. He presented no defence or explanation whatsoever for what he had been accused of.

I told the DG how terribly disappointed I was with him. I had before seen John Asein as a brilliant Nigerian. When as a young officer at the NCC, he was sanctioned in a way I believed was unjust, I came fully to his defence. I travelled to Abuja several times at no cost to him to plead his case until the sanctions against him were lifted. When he was made the NCC DG, I celebrated. I even met with him in Abuja and wished him well.

On January 30, Mr. Asein came to see me in my hotel room at Reiz Continental Abuja, on the evening of the same day we both met his Chairman. I did not see a man repentant or apologetic about what he had done. To me, his main concern was that he had been caught. He did not want the information to become public. He asked what I could do to save him.

Why is the conduct of the NCC DG important to me? Apart from being a Nigerian who wants our nation to work, I was one of the people who campaigned vigorously for the establishment of the NCC. To get the government to set up the institution, I carried placards and led dangerous demonstrations. I was in the committee that drafted the law setting up this important national institution. Our vision was to have a vibrant organization that fights the infringement of Nigeria's creative works and launches the nation into the mainstream of the world creative and knowledge economy.

Unfortunately, the NCC has been inflicted with bad leadership. While Nigeria's great creative minds are suffering, rather than fight the piracy of Nigeria's creative works and other types of copyright infringement for which the organization has been set up, the NCC may have become a den of thieves and the crucible of scams. The interest of the NCC leadership appears to be to grab all "grabbable". What is going on is costing the creative industry and our nation dearly in billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Mr. Asien should stop running around complaining about those he thinks want to take his job. He should stop leaning on his so-called godfathers to save him. He should come clean, face the issues and answer the many questions he has been avoiding.

Did John Ohireime Asein with IPPIS No 101108 continue to collect salaries from the Nigerian Copyright Commission several months into 2016 after retiring as staff of the commission on December 31, 2015? If he did, it is stealing, a criminal offence for which he ought to go to jail. A simple inquiry at the Federal government's Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) should establish whether this allegation is true or made up.

From January 10, 2017 to January 8, 2019, John Asein held the fulltime position of Executive Director of REPRONIG, a CMO for Nigerian authors and publishers regulated by the NCC. Did he continue to act on behalf of REPRONIG and as sole signatory to the REPRONIG UBA account No 2004467988, long after assuming office as NCC DG? Has he signed REPRONIG funds in dollars to himself? If he did, it is a bewildering example of conflict of interest and fraud with extensive consequences which might lead to jail time. Again, a simple review of the bank accounts of REPRONIG should establish whether this allegation is true or fiction.

How much is involved in the controversial deal between the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Agency Francaise De Development (AFD), Punuka Attorneys and KPMG brokered by Mr. John Asein? Who received what in the contentious deal? Which other person in the NCC management or governing board is aware of the details of this transaction?

As a public officer, is John Asein at the same time Director of a private company known as Books & Gavel Ltd contrary to Article 030424 of the Public Service Rules? A check at the CAC can determine that.

There is also the question of whether John Asein has contravened Section 4(1) of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. Has he been receiving pension as a retired public officer and at the same time receiving remuneration as a serving public officer? Did he declare his assets upon his appointment as DG?

These are just some of the many questions to which clear answers can be provided by Mr. Asein. His staff understand what is going on. Does John Asein have the moral standing to lead his staff or caution them when they do wrong? I am afraid that the NCC today lies comatose.

Asein obviously believes that with his godfather, he does not need to answer the questions begging for him to address. He may be correct to believe that with his godfather he is above the law because details of the alleged transgressions of Mr. Asein have for some time been with some government agencies whose hands appear to have been tied, making them unable to do what they ought to do. Who is tying the hands of these agencies?

We have come to the time when as a nation we must decide whether to fight corruption or to keep our mouths shut. Is President Buhari's anti-corruption war just a talking point? Who is this big godfather of John Ohireimi Asien that has made him above the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

See you next week.

THANK YOU UBI FRANKLIN

Last Tuesday, I got a call from Ubi Franklin who runs the record label, Made Men Music Group and is now an Adviser on Tourism to the Cross River State Governor. I am always happy to share time with anyone connected with the music industry. Besides, I am a great fan of Iyanya whom Ubi had worked with to achieve considerable success. I had some banter on the phone with Ubi.

The very sweet talking Ubi Franklin invited me to participate in his Music Business Conversation on Instagram Live holding the following day, Wednesday.

Ubi made very good effort to wear a face mask on his invitation. He probably did not know that I was laughing because I immediately recognized the ploy. I knew the first minute that the invitation was another gimmick orchestrated by the same group who three years ago failed very woefully in the execution of their coup plot to hijack COSON House and to turn COSON into their private ATM machine. COSON is the great national institution we have built to protect the interest of thousands of people from every nook and cranny of Nigeria who have invested their talents and resources in the Nigerian music industry. I am proud of COSON.

Last year, a similar stunt was rolled out before me. I was invited to a program hosted by my good friend, Soni Irabor on LTV. Meanwhile, the head coup plotter had been planted to ambush me with some 'embarrassing' questions. It was utterly hilarious!

As soon as Ubi dropped, I called my good friend and lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu. I told him what had happened and he would not stop laughing. I assured him that I was going to join Ubi on Instagram Live and enjoy their game. We both agreed that Ubi would have been fed with every question which my adversaries believe would 'trap' me and that the head coup plotter, desperate as he is, would once again be hiding somewhere in the wings to coordinate the lynching,  

I have absolutely nothing to hide and so I was ready for the guys and their hired gangs who for close to three years have manufactured, concocted, cooked up and  spread every kind of fiction and falsehood to smear me, lynch my reputation and drive me away from COSON which they believe they can take over for themselves; an organization we built for all.

Anyone who watched Ubi's show on Wednesday evening would give him great credit for playing the very difficult role assigned to him. Despite his almost virtuoso performance, it was clear that the screen play was very badly put together. A lot of the "facts' fed to Ubi was trash which could easily have been checked out. On Ubi's show it was easy to understand the wrong foundations of the misadventure of the COSON coupists.

The biggest mistake very clear in Ubi's narrative is that a few people living in Lagos have misled themselves into believing that they own the Nigerian music industry! When they get together, share a drink and say anything, they believe that it must become law. This group has very deep contempt for democracy and the thousands of Nigerians in the music industry across the country. They clearly do not understand the rule of law.

Ubi wrongly assumed that I became PMAN President at 24 and remained PMAN President for a period of more than 20 years. The fact is that I became PMAN President in 1987 at the age of 29. I was President of PMAN until 1993. I served in the position for a period of six years.

Ubi does not think much of the COSON Board elected by the members of COSON. He thinks that we are digital illiterates. I am not sure that Ubi does more Instagram Live than Koffi Idowu Nuel who is a key member of the COSON Board.

I don't know why Ubi would think that COSON lied that we distributed millions of naira to cushion the suffering of musicians during the coronavirus lockdown.  The fact is that the money was not paid to anyone in cash but through bank transfers. There is a record of the thousands of musicians in practically every state in Nigeria who received the COSON anti coronavirus distribution.

Those who have no honour believe that no one has any honour. Those who never tell the truth believe that everyone is a liar. The habitual fraudsters will tell you that everyone is a fraudster. They are wrong.

In the building of the copyright system in Nigeria, I have never told anybody a lie. I have carried placards many times and led very risky demonstrations many-many times against many powerful people. In the defence and promotion of the music industry in Nigeria, I have been to courts across the country more times than many litigation lawyers and witnessed against top corporations, governments and individuals time and time again. I have gone many-many days without sleep, travelled lonely roads at dangerous hours, written opinion articles, delivered lectures, organized myriad conferences, seminars and workshops. Anyone who thinks that I have risked my life these many times because of money must be mad.

Over and over again, people have gathered to hatch all kinds of conspiracies against me. Each of them has failed. They have lied and lied about me and have begun to believe their lies. They have shot at me with every weapon they can find. When in 2017, the coup at COSON House, was hatched against me, I had come the day before from Cross Rivers State, Ubi Franklin's home state, where I had gone and won damages to the tune of half a billion naira for the music industry. The coup was executed in broad daylight. Twelve days later, the coup failed in broad daylight.

They have reported me to the EFCC for something that has absolutely nothing to do with me. After a few months, the matter died like over ripe dodo. Men of SARS armed to the teeth were organized to come from Abuja to over-run COSON House and hand over the magnificent building to them. In less than an hour, the good Lord dispersed the SARS team and they went back to Abuja.

Last year, the Police CID in Abuja was programmed to arrest me and parade me as a common criminal for stealing the huge amount of N60 Million! The senior police officer who called to summon me to Abuja later called to apologize to me and reported that an attempt had been made to use them to do injustice.

The same group conspired and ensured that criminal charges were filed against me so that I would be sent to jail. They announced it on radio and TV. A good judge saw through the gambit and I was never even docked.

They have hired people who do nothing else but publish inciting and defamatory matters against me every day. The guy who leads this onslaught purports to sit on a pedestal which I worked hard to make famous. Practically every power of a government agency which I helped to found has been thrown at me as they misinterpret laws which I helped to write.

They connived and shut down the bank accounts of COSON believing that such would grind us to a halt. When their gambit failed, they composed a new song called "Forensic Audit" which they sing all over the place to tarnish our image.

I have gone to court and ed that they bring evidence and call witnesses to substantiate their weird accusations. Lo and behold, they have no defence! They have been blowing hot air all the time.

Atiku Abubakar contested the Nigerian presidency last year. It was declared that he lost. He disagreed and went to court and tried his best to wrestle with Buhari. After spending several billions of Naira, he has allowed the matter to rest. For my guys, three years after, they remain desperate to get control of COSON or they would destroy it and bury Okoroji. With tears in my eyes I promised members of COSON that no one will be allowed to hijack COSON. My promise is a covenant.

I have no doubt that any time from now the greed that drives these guys will catch up with them. They will all lose and lose badly. Thank you, Ubi Franklin for exposing them. I enjoyed the treat on Wednesday.

See you next week.