The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has accused the Music Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) of launching what it described as a campaign of lies against the organisation, allegedly driven by fears over the loss of political influence by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In a statement signed by its General Manager, Vincent Adawaisi, COSON alleged that MCSN was anxious over possible investigations into how it obtained government approval to collect copyright royalties despite facing seven criminal cases at the Federal High Court. COSON claimed that the approval was allegedly secured through the influence of Malami, who, it said, had directed the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to withdraw the cases and approve MCSN as a collecting society.
COSON also dismissed claims allegedly being circulated by MCSN that it had become defunct. The organisation said it remained fully operational and continued to defend the interests of its thousands of members across Nigeria. It pointed to its headquarters, COSON House, in Ikeja, Lagos, as evidence of its continued operations.
The copyright body further rejected claims that it had been delisted by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), urging members of the public to verify its status on the CAC’s public register. According to COSON, Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd/Gte remains listed, while Copyright Society of Nigeria is recorded as “active,” which it described as the highest compliance status.
COSON alleged that Malami had used his position to exert undue influence on the NCC in favour of MCSN, despite objections from officials of the commission. The organisation claimed that NCC officials had warned that the proposed actions were contrary to due process and could destabilise Nigeria’s copyright industry, but were eventually compelled to comply with the minister’s directives.
The organisation further alleged that attempts were made to infiltrate its board and destabilise its operations after its members resisted efforts to take control of COSON. It also claimed that the subsequent suspension of COSON’s approval by the NCC was part of a broader scheme intended to give MCSN greater control over copyright royalty collections. COSON said the resulting disputes had contributed to a growing number of legal actions in the industry.
Reacting to recent statements attributed to MCSN, COSON said the organisation had failed to disclose that an appeal had been filed at the Supreme Court against the July 6 decision of the Court of Appeal concerning COSON’s N10 billion claim against the NCC. Adawaisi maintained that the underlying case had not reached trial or final judgment, and accused MCSN of deliberately misleading the public. COSON said it believed a proper investigation would expose what it described as alleged abuses surrounding copyright royalty collection and Malami’s influence in the sector.
Read full statement…
GRIPPED BY FEAR THAT THEIR MASTER, ABUBAKAR MALAMI, IS OUT OF POWER, MCSN BEGINS CAMPAING OF LIES AGAINST COSON, NIGERIA’S BIGGEST CMO
It has been brought to the notice of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s biggest and most internationally respected copyright collective management organization, that out of fear, anxiety and dread, following the fall from power of their master, Abubakar Malami, the searchlight of law enforcement agencies is now beaming on how MCSN, an organization hitherto facing seven criminal cases at the Federal High Court, was purported to have been given government approval on the instructions of Mr Malami to be collecting billions of Naira in copyright royalties on behalf of innocent Nigerian musicians, many of who never see any kobo of the money. This is the same MCSN of which President Obasanjo had ordered that a dubious approval which they had got through the back door be annulled and was so annulled by the NCC.
In panic, the leaders of MCSN have begun to issue statements falsely informing the public that COSON is “defunct”. Fortunately, anyone can visit the magnificent COSON House at 41 Oluwaleimu St, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, on any working day. Such a person will see an organization in a sparkling environment fully at work. Contrary to the reckless and malicious statements of MCSN, COSON is not defunct but fully operational and dutifully defending the rights of its thousands of members across Nigeria.
It is in the same manner that MCSN has fraudulently and shamelessly been spreading the false narrative that COSON has since been delisted from the Register of Companies by the CAC and no longer legally in existence. Anyone with a smartphone can easily confirm the truth or falsehood of this crazy narrative by logging onto https://icrp.cac.gov.ng/public-search, the website of the CAC. Not only will the person find that Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd/Gte is listed, Copyright Society of Nigeria is listed as “active”, the highest compliance status of any organization listed in the Register of Companies.
The recent order by the Federal High Court that Mr Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice should forfeit to the Federal Government 48 choice properties worth about a whopping 200 Billion Naira acquired by him through fraudulent means, confirms what COSON has been saying for a long time that the man, Malami is a big time scammer and a crafty fraudster, who used his position in the Buhari administration to twist the law and massively enrich himself and his family, enrich his cronies and enrich his lawyer friends.
Unfortunately, Nigerian musicians and the music industry fell victims of Malami’s greed. Once the former AG was convinced there was money to be made from the collection of copyright royalties and the levy on copyright materials, his insatiability was activated. Then, he discovered that he could team up with the MCSN gang with existing seven criminal cases filed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission. The man whose duty was to protect Nigerian law began to scheme on how to break the law.
Any proper investigation of documents at both the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) will show that the leadership of the NCC bluntly objected to Malami’s order that they withdraw the seven criminal cases against MCSN and approve MCSN as a copyright collecting society. The documents will show that the NCC leadership informed Mr Malami that what he was asking them to do was blatantly illegal and would mean the abdication of their duty to due process and result in serious instability in the music industry and reversal in the great progress the Nigerian nation had made in the copyright sector.
Blinded by greed and the belief that he had unlimited power, Mr Malami ordered the NCC to swallow their objections and obey his command. Faced with the likelihood of the loss of their jobs, the NCC leadership was forced to comply with the unlawful orders of Abubakar Malami and then sent a letter of “approval” to the MCSN gang. Any suggestion that the NCC acted on its own volition or in accordance with the law is completely false. The NCC wrote the letter under the gun! The sad fact is that Abubakar Malami as Minister of Justice, had no power under the law to compel the NCC to take the actions as he did.
When COSON went to the Federal High Court, Lagos to protest the bizarre development, the case file was suddenly snatched from the judge and overnight taken to Abuja so as to pressure the judge. This was on the further machinations of the almighty Abubakar Malami who at the time, was also arm-twisting the judiciary.
Desirous of full control of almost every mechanism that can make billions for him, his cohorts and his lawyer friends, a scheme was craftly activated to infiltrate the COSON Board, so as to either capture control of COSON or create instability in COSON.
When the members of COSON fiercely resisted the attempt to control their organization, Abubakar Malami once again ordered the NCC to “suspend” the approval of COSON so that his MCSN gang which had been primed to consider itself a “sole” collecting society, can run amok extorting huge sums of money on behalf of people who had not authorized MCSN to act on their behalf.
What has happened in the music industry is the raw exhibition of impunity, audacity and absolute lawlessness by a public official consumed by the love of money.
Unfortunately, as predicted by the leadership of NCC, in their initial rejection of Malami’s order, there is now a deluge of actions in the courts arising from Malami’s misadventure in the music industry.
In its tragic habit of misinforming everyone, MCSN in its recent public propaganda statement and campaign of lies against COSON, intentionally chose not to inform the public that an appeal has been filed at the Supreme Court against the July 6, decision of the Court of Appeal in the COSON ten billion naira claim against the NCC. In the spirit of full disclosure, the matter at the Appeal Court was an appeal against an interlocutory ruling of the Federal High Court. Trial has not even begun in the main suit not to talk of a final decision of the action.
The irrefutable fact is that the MCSN gang which some people in the music industry refer to as “Malami’s Copyright Scam in Nigeria” is scared stiff that a proper investigation which is probably on the way, will reveal the multiple criminality as Malami primed them for the continued looting of billions of Naira by a man who believed that his power would last forever.
Vincent Adawaisi
General Manager, Copyright society of Nigeria, COSON
