PLEASE FIGHT THE PIRATES AND LEAVE COSON AND OKOROJI ALONE!!!

PLEASE FIGHT THE PIRATES AND LEAVE COSON AND OKOROJI ALONE!!!

When about eight years ago, it was announced that one Afam Ezekude had been appointed DG, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), I was mystified. Afam Ezekude? I never heard of the guy before.

The intellectual property community is a very close group. We attend the same seminars and conferences around the world. We know each other. I called my friends in the intellectual property field and no one appeared to have heard the name, Afam Ezekude. I googled the name and there was absolutely nothing. I went to LinkedIn and found nothing. So, how did this guy with no known copyright education, no publication, no attendance of any copyright forum become Director-General of the nation's biggest copyright institution?

Ultimately, I was told that Ezekude was brought from London to become DG because of his friendship with Mohammed Adokie, at the time, Attorney-General & Minister of Justice. That is the way the system appears to work.

In my humble opinion, Nigeria has paid a huge price as result of this decision. The entire copyright infrastructure in the country which took great energy by the likes of Moses Ekpo and Egerton Uvieghara to build, has terribly broken down. Last year, I went to see the key operational office of the NCC by the Costain roundabout in Lagos. I could not understand how any human being can work in such a derelict, smelly and completely rundown environment with leaking roofs. I wept. 

 

In Abuja, Ezekude has been involved in a never-ending cat and mouse game with his staff, who recently locked his office for about four weeks for alleged massive corruption in the NCC while the staff under the DG have suffered untold deprivation. Afam Ezekude, who appears to be in hiding most of time, has recently been busy flexing his muscles at COSON, the one institution in the Nigerian copyright system that has defied the odds and is flying Nigeria's flag proudly across the world. Last week, the DG went to town to announce that he has filed criminal charges against COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji and some senior officers of COSON for defying his blatantly illegal directives.

Practically every DG appointed by the last administration has been removed but Ezekude remains in office, while the NCC dies because of the disdain that the government has for the Nigerian creative industry.

This week, the venerable Prof. (Sir) Victor Uwaifo, one of Nigeria's greatest musicians of all times, was forced to write a letter to Mr. Afam Ezekude. Hereunder is the full text of the letter:  

Dear Mr. Ezekude,

I was left with disbelief and absolute shock upon reading a few days ago that you have filed criminal charges against COSON, our chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji and some staff members of COSON.

It appears that for the last one year, rather than fight the pirates killing the creative industry in Nigeria, all you have done is wage a misguided war against COSON, Nigeria's one success story in the copyright sector and a shining symbol of the Nigerian nation across the continent.

It is shameful that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Copyright Commission would dream of filing a charge against Chief Tony Okoroji, the man that galvanized the entire Nigerian nation with the unsurpassed advocacy that compelled the government to promulgate the Nigerian Copyright Law and set up the Nigerian Copyright Commission which today offers you employment. For several years, Chief Okoroji has been the nation's No 1 Intellectual Property advocate at great personal cost.

Maybe you are not aware that Chief Tony Okoroji risked his life for you to have the job you enjoy today. During his agitation for the establishment of the NCC, he could have been killed by the military government of the day. With the help of the likes of Prof. Egerton Ovieghara who became the first Chairman of the NCC, Chief Okoroji drafted the law that set up your commission. I wonder how you can even think of destroying the good name of such a man by filing criminal charges against him. What exactly did he do?

You will recall that on February 26, 2018, I sent you a letter in which I cautioned you on your continued meddling with the internal affairs of COSON, an independent private sector organization in which the government of Nigeria has not invested one kobo. You may wish to read that letter again.

Because you refused to listen to my advice not to continue your unlawful and desperate attempt to control COSON by foisting on COSON a person we believe you wish to manipulate, I led thousands of members of COSON to the Federal High Court where on July 10, 2018, we obtained an order restraining Mr. Efe Omorogbe from parading himself as Chairman of COSON. That order still subsists.  

When you went to town with utmost impunity to publish that you had suspended the operating licence of COSON while the issues were before a court of law, I, once again, led the members of COSON to the Federal High Court to obtain another court order which on September 19, 2018 suspended your purported suspension of the COSON licence. The order also subsists.

No decent person can understand how under the prevailing circumstances, you can successfully bring any charge against COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji and other management staff of COSON for serving the musicians of Nigeria by doing the work which the law allows them to do.

Mr. Afam Ezekude, you are not above the law and somebody needs to call you to order!

It has become clear that you have decided that if you cannot control COSON, you must kill this organization dear to the musicians of Nigeria. For the avoidance of doubt, you will not control COSON and you will not kill it. COSON will continue to grow stronger long after you have been removed from the position that appears to have given you the false impression that you are now God Almighty.

I advise you to immediately withdraw any charge you may have filed against COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji and the management staff of COSON, Nigeria's most admired organization in the creative industry ever, built with the unrivaled leadership of Chief Tony Okoroji, a nationalist per excellence.

 

I also advise you to focus on fighting the biting piracy militating against the creative industry rather than spend all your time meddling with and trying to destabilize COSON which is being run professionally.

If, like you have done before, you refuse to heed my advice, be informed that the thousands of members of COSON have the capacity and are prepared to take you on, remind you that you are not above the law and ensure that you leave your position with ignominy.

Once again, 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. We will not allow you to humiliate him.

A word is enough for the wise!

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

PROF. (SIR) VICTOR UWAIFO JP, MON.

See you next week