Harassment, intimidation can’t stop audit of COSON – Efe Omorogbe

Leader of a faction of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Efe Omorogbe, has declared that no amount of harassment or intimidation can stop the auditing of the association.

Mr Omorogbe spoke in a statement released on Saturday, two days after he was arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly forging the COSON letterhead.

The 47 is embroiled in a tussle with former Performing Musician Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) president, Tony Okoroji, over the chairmanship of COSON.

He was arraigned on Thursday alongside Joel Ajayi, 61, before Magistrate O. O. Oshin by the Zone II Police Command Headquarters, Obalende.

Efe was elected chairman of the COSON board on December 7, 2017, after a board meeting conveyed over alleged mismanagement by Okoroji.

That decision was reversed at an extraordinary general meeting of the association on December 19 attended by veteran musicians like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Sir Shina Peters, Ras Kimono and Kenny St Brown.

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), however, voided Okoroji’s return in a letter dated February 19, 2018.

The regulatory body added that it will act within its oversight function to examine the books of COSON and advise as appropriate.

Okoroji and his supporters have kicked against the NCC declaration.

According to the statement released on Saturday, “Thursday’s arraignment and bail on charges of impersonation, forgery, conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace and threat to life are the latest steps in a series of desperate and futile moves by Okoroji to harass, intimidate and coerce them into abdicating the leadership of the board, mislead the law enforcement agencies and the populace as a ploy for dumping the call for a full forensic audit of accounts and operations of COSON.”

It added that following the NCC letter of February 19, a board meeting was called but those loyal to Okoroji stayed away and the COSON office locked to prevent the meeting from holding.

They were forced to hold the meeting at the entrance of the locked office with representatives of the NCC, an officer from the Public Complaint Bureau, Lagos police command and reporters all present.

One of the decisions taken at the meeting was to write the association’s bankers to stop honouring cheques issued by Okoroji.

The group has vowed not to be intimidated to stop its call for the probe of COSON’s account.

NO AMOUNT OF HARASSMENT AND INTIMIDATION CAN STOP #AuditCOSON. Recent orchestrated attacks on the persons and reputation of members of our Board by Chief Tony Okoroji, his acolytes and agents have more than anything else, provided proof of a growing desperation to avoid probe, cover the truth and perpetuate the illusion of his purported reinstatement as chairman of the governing board of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). The widely reported arrest of our substantive and duly elected chairman Mr Efe Omorogbe and another Board member Mr Joel Ajayi and subsequent arraignment and bail on charges of impersonation, forgery, conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace and threat to life are the latest steps in a series of desperate and futile moves by Okoroji to harass, intimidate and coerce them into abdicating the leadership of the board, mislead the law enforcement agencies and the populace as a ploy for dumping the call for a full forensic audit of accounts and operations of COSON. Following receipt of the directive of the industry regulator, Nigerian Copyright Commission in a letter dated February 19, 2017 declaring Okoroji’s reinstatement and sack of elected board members as null and void, the Board proceeded to act in substantive capacity and carried out the following actions: 1. A board meeting was called on March 6, 2018 at the COSON House wherein all 11 directors (including Tony Okoroji, John Uduegbunam, Azeezat Allen and Ras Kimono), management and the Nigeria Copyright Commission were duly notified. Okoroji and co absented themselves from the meeting and directed his agents to lock the other board members out. Having formed a quorum with 6 directors present, we proceeded with the meeting at the entrance of the locked office with representatives of the commission, an officer from the Public Complaint Bureau, Lagos Police Command and reporters all present. – It is this meeting that has been fraudulently reported to the office of the IG as the mobilization of thugs to disrupt an Okoroji meeting with intent to cause a breach of public peace and threat to life! (Contd.)

A post shared by Efe Omorogbe (@efeomorogbe) on Apr 7, 2018 at 2:02pm PDT

NO AMOUNT OF HARASSMENT AND INTIMIDATION CAN STOP #AuditCOSON. (Contd.) 2. We wrote to COSON bankers to formally communicate a directive from the duly elected board to stop honouring all cheques signed by Okoroji who has continued to parade himself as chairman along with others who may have been fraudulently listed as directors of COSON and on-boarded as signatories to the accounts. – It is the attempt to halt Okoroji’s continued tampering with the society’s accounts to fund his attack on everyone who disagrees with him and sustain his dangerous defiance of the regulator’s directives that has been sold to the police as forgery and impersonation. For the avoidance of doubt we members of Coson Board wish to use this medium to reiterate with emphasis that Tony Okoroji remains sacked and that Mr Efe Omorogbe remains chairman of the board of COSON. We will also like to assure members of the society and concerned members of the public that the phantom charges do not hold any water and that no amount of grandstanding, threat, attacks, intimidation, abuse of power or abuse of court processes will stop a full forensic audit of COSON account and operations. We will also like to assure Okoroji and everyone presently aiding his desperate attempts at avoiding a probe that we would not stop our campaign for a full forensic audit of COSON’S financial affairs until justice is not only done but is seen to have been manifestly done in this regard not only by the several hundreds of artistes whose sacred mandates we represent but also the members of the general public who must also insist that the music pays the rights owners and not a few desperate cabal and no matter how highly placed or connected. SIGNED: COSON BOARD

A post shared by Efe Omorogbe (@efeomorogbe) on Apr 7, 2018 at 2:22pm PDT