Stakeholders of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), including some of it foundation members have issued a 30- ultimatum; within which the collecting society should submit itself to a forensic audit under the auspices of the Nigeria Copyright Commission(NCC)
In a press statement on Thursday under the signature of Efe Omoregbe and Ibukun “Aibee” Abidoye, the stakeholders warned of dire consequences that may include the pursuit of: ” full criminal prosecution of individuals (including but not limited to COSON directors, employees, agents and members; and also members of the governing board of Nigeria Copyright Commission and its staff) who are found to have colluded to cripple the society through gross mismanagement of royalties belonging to our members. “
The document described the failure of the Tony Okoroji led the management of the CMO as “a shameless attempt to dodge the accountability the leadership owes to members; on whose behalf billions of naira have been collected from users”..
While insisting that the NCC “must proceed to perform its regulatory duty of protecting the interest of right holders by fully investigating all allegations of mismanagement of the body”; it announced the decision of concerned stakeholders to, as an immediate show of intent, withdraw the “COSON’s right to represent us outside Nigeria…”
The statement stated further: ” We shall not hesitate to deploy more severe action against COSON should the CMO continue to jeopardize our collective business interest through the recalcitrance of its principal officers. We will not stand by idly and watch Okoroji and his acolytes further decimate our funds on frivolous lawsuits and calamitous media/PR campaigns.
The stakeholders expressed surprise at the continue defiance of the NCC by the management of COSON through its illegal operation without government approval. They maintained that the execution of a foreign audit of the books of the CMO remained a basic prerequisite to the renewal of COSON’s expired operating license and called on the NCC to “remain alive to its responsibility of protecting right holders from renegade organisations that seek to operate outside the ambit of regulation and accountability.”
Members of COSON, one of the two copyright management organisations (CMOs) recognised in Nigeria have been at odds over accusations of mismanagement by the Chief Tony Okoroji management. While the aggrieved factions demands for a forensic audit as the minimum requirement for peace, Okoroji has insisted that COSON does not have need for such an audit. In the course of this disagreement, the operating licence of the body expired in May 2019 but the management has insisted on continuing its operations in spite of the NCC’s position to the contrary.
