COSON LAWYERS DECLARE ‘WAR’ ON OPE BANWO

Lawyers to Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) acting also on behalf of Chief Tony Okoroji, the society’s Chairman, have demanded a retraction of recent statements made by Mr. Ope Banwo against COSON and Chief Okoroji.

They have also demanded that Mr. Banwo tender a conspicuous and unreserved apology to Chief Tony Okoroji and COSON on Facebook and four Nigerian newspapers, namely, the Guardian, the Sun, the Punch and Vanguard within seven days. 

The lawyers have furthermore demanded that Mr. Banwo pay the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) to Chief Okoroji and another N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) to COSON for what the lawyers have described as significant injury caused by Mr. Banwo to Chief Okoroji and COSON.

A letter dated May 5, 2017 sent to Mr. Banwo and signed by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Justin Ige of CREATIVE LEGAL, Seun Omotoba & Co, says:

‘We refer to your widely circulated publication on Facebook titled “TIME TO BLOW WHISTLE ON TONI OKOROJI: HOW DID TONY OKOROJI SPEND OVER N300, 000, 000.00 IN COPYRIGHT ROYALTIES COLLECTED ON BEHALF OF NIGERIAN ARTISTES” and other vile statements you have repeatedly published in the last fortnight against our Clients.

‘By the said publications, you have made several blatantly false, baseless and malicious statements including innuendos which were clearly intended by you to lower the hard won reputation of our Clients and to incite stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry to revolt against our Clients and to distort and destroy their legacies.

‘Our Clients have also been informed that having not been invited and not being a member of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) and not having any genuine business to do at COSON, you on Friday 28 April 2017 stormed the offices of COSON at Omodara Street, Opebi Lagos and without anyone’s permission and with a smartphone began to livestream the images of the staff of COSON at work and the premises of our Clients on the Internet accompanied by very vile, false and inciteful statements and commentaries made by you against our Clients also clearly intended to engineer a revolt against our Clients.

‘We are informed that you are a lawyer and as a lawyer, you ought to know better.

‘We have been instructed by our Clients to demand and we hereby demand a retraction of the false and injurious statements you have published against our Clients and to tender a conspicuous and unreserved apology to our Clients published on Facebook and in the Guardian Newspaper, the Sun Newspaper, the Punch and Vanguard Newspapers within 7 (seven) days of receipt of this letter. Furthermore, you are to pay to each of our clients the sum of N100,000,000.00  (One Hundred Million Naira each) for the significant injury you have caused our Clients.

‘Be informed that if you fail, refuse or neglect to meet the demands of our Clients, our instructions are to deploy every instrument and process allowed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to seek redress against you’

It will be recalled that it was the same Mr. Justin Ige of Creative Legal that won the famous victories for Chief Tony Okoroji against singer, Onyeka Onwenu in two landmark defamation cases at the High Court of Lagos State and at the Court of Appeal.

Watch the said video of Ope Banwo.

AU UNVEILS 2017 AFRIMA CALENDAR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Standing L-R:

L-R: South Africa Music Star, Sjava, Head, Culture Division, African Union Commission, Angela Martins; President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada and MD, Africori Digital Music Solutions, Yoel Kenyan during the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2017 Calendar Unveiling Event held on Tuesday, May 2 at The Maslow, Sandton, South Africa.

…..As Entry Submission Opens May 8

The African Union Commission, AUC, has formally unveiled the 2017 All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA calendar at the World Media Unveiling event held on Tuesday, May 2 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, South Africa.  

The ceremony was attended by AU officials, members of the International Committee of AFRIMA, past AFRIMA winners and nominees from Southern African, media executives in Southern Africa and other stakeholders in the creative/entertainment industry in Africa.

Seated L-R:

L-R: South Africa Music Star, Sjava, Head, Culture Division, African Union Commission, Angela Martins; President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada and MD, Africori Digital Music Solutions, Yoel Kenyan during the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2017 Calendar Unveiling Event held on Tuesday, May 2 at The Maslow, Sandton, South Africa.

During the unveiling, President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr. Mike Dada, made known that the first activity on the continental awards event calendar is submission of entries which opens globally on Monday, May 8 and submission closes on Monday, July 17, 2017.

Mr. Dada advised artistes, managers, producers, record label owners, video directors, publicists and entertainment/music journalist to submit their works or those of their artistes within the stipulated timeline in order to stand a chance at the awards.

''Irrespective of how popular an artiste or their works are in Africa, failure to submit for the awards means their chances of being nominated for AFRIMA 2017 is practically non-existent,'' Dada pointed out.

While delivering the African Union opening address at the event, Head of Culture Division, African Union Commission, Ms. Angela Martins, thanked the government of the Republic of South Africa and the people for receiving the AUC and AFRIMA for the calendar unveiling. 

L-R: South Africa Music Star, Sjava, Head, Culture Division, African Union Commission, Angela Martins; President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada and MD, Africori Digital Music Solutions, Yoel Kenyan during the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2017 Calendar Unveiling Event held on Tuesday, May 2 at The Maslow, Sandton, South Africa.

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She added: “We would like to hail the All Africa Music Awards initiative for the laudable impact it has for its three editions (2014, 2015 and 2016). AFRIMA has been able to mobilize millions of people and renowned artistes from the five (5) regions of Africa’’.

Speaking further about the partnership with the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA and the African Union Commission, Ms Martins said: ‘’We wish to thank AFRIMA for allowing us to popularize this continent policy tool on its platforms and we call upon all of you here present to assist in popularizing these continental tools’’.

Some of the attendees during the unveiling were African music stars such as: Wax Dey; Sjava; Buffalo; Mi Casa; Busiswa; The Soil; Heavy K; Ugly Priddy; Cindy Munyavi and Fungisia amongst others. Other music industry stakeholders present included: MD, Africori Digital Music Solutions, Mr. Yoel Kenyan; MD, Content Connect International, Mr. Munya Chanesta; Group Manager, Africa Sales and Marketing, Sun International, Ms. Jennifer Beattie; Director, Vth Season Management and Ms. Ninel Musson to name a few.

The All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, is a music property developed to celebrate, reward and showcase the rich musical culture of Africa, stimulate conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the globe about the great potential and values of the African culture and artistic heritage for the purpose of creating jobs, reducing poverty, calling attention of world leaders to Africa and promoting the positive image of Africa to the world.

AFRIMA is centred on the promotion and marketing of African music and is by far the largest gathering of such magnitude of stakeholders in Africa and hosting is earnestly sought by different African countries due to the great leveraging opportunities that the platform provides