2Face Idibia, Banky W & Others Banned By BON

The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, BON, and the Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria, IBAN, have stopped airing musical productions belonging to Chief Ebenezer Obey, 2Face Idibia, Onyeka Onwenu, Banky W and
thousands of other members of the Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON. In a statement jointly signed by Sonny Adun
and Guy Murray Bruce, IBAN Chairman and Secretary respectively, the two bodies said
they were constrained to take this step principally as “a result of COSON’s attitude of
antagonism and harassment under the leadership of Tony Okoroji (COSON
Chairman)”. “No person or organisation, particularly a
collection society such as COSON has a monopoly of authority over any other…IBAN
and BON have the utmost respect for Nigerian. artistes in their individual and collective
capacities and have indeed contributed more
than any known institution to the promotion of Nigerian music and the development of the
entertainment industry as a whole,” the statement reads.
But in a swift reaction, Okoroji, COSON boss,
said his organisation has read with amusement the empty threat by the leadership of BON that its affiliate stations would no
longer play the music of Nigerian citizens on Nigerian stations because Nigerian musicians
are asking for their right to be paid copyright royalties for the exploitation of their music as
is done in every country in the world. He said it is only in a country like Nigeria that
this can take place with some people having no regards for intellectual property. “The threat
by the leadership of BON reveals the crass ignorance with which some members of BON
have been misled and steered into easily avoidable crisis.
For many years, this people have used ‘divide and rule’ tactics and threats to weaken the
music industry and ensure that the industry did not effectively challenge its exploitation,”
Okoroji said. He stated that it is indeed revealing that IBAN/BON people who pretend
to be leaders of the broadcast industry in Nigeria believe that they can play music belonging to foreign nationals for free in
Nigeria without any consequence.
“For their information, by the reciprocal representation agreements entered into
between COSON and several collective
management organisations around the world
and the various copyright conventions to which
Nigeria is a signatory, every broadcast station
in Nigeria is bound to pay copyright royalties
for foreign music as it must for the music
belonging to Nigerians.
Failure to pay exposes Nigeria to both
economic and diplomatic sanctions,” Okoroji
disclosed. He added that COSON has done
everything to engage broadcasting stations in
Nigeria to do what is done in every other
country in a very professional manner.
“COSON has met with Broadcasting
Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Independent
Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN),
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and
practically every major broadcasting network in
Nigeria.
While there are broadcasting stations that
have reached agreements with COSON and are
broadcasting music comfortably as required by
law, some other stations have allowed
themselves to be deceived by the empty boast
of people who have told them that they can
‘handle’ COSON,” Okoroji added.
But IBAN and BON also said their members are
ready and willing to pay royalties for works
used but will not be railroaded into arbitrarily
imposed and concocted fees which are not
based on any agreeable and verifiable tariff
and standards.
“In the circumstance, we are therefore taking
steps in liaison with important stakeholders in
the country to address and hopefully come to a
fair and reasonable resolution of this COSON
induced crises,” IBAN/BON stated.
Other artistes who have their musical
productions prohibited on air include Iyanya,
Azizat, D’Banj, Olamide, Dr. SID, Sammy
Okposo, Olu Maintain, Sunny Neji, Rugged
Man, Jasman Olofin, X-Project, Asa, African
China, Terry G, Waje, Omawumi, Sound Sultan
and J Martins. PMNEWS learnt Prince Emeka
Mba, Director General, National Broadcasting
Organisation of Nigeria, has waded in. The NBC boss is said to have called for a negotiated settlement, wondering how the stations can do away with works of the affected artistes who are the best in Nigeria and still meet up with requirement of NBC.
PM LAGOS