Access Banks Logo. |
The
Performing Musicians Association of Nigerian, PMAN, Says that her attention has
been grown has been drawn to the unfortunate statement titled NIGERIAN ARTISTES
DECLARE WAR ON ACCESS BANK OVER SEIZED ROYALTIES issued by interests purporting
to speak on behalf Nigerian right owners.
According
the National President of PMAN, Pretty Okafor, this threat is being issued to
Access Bank PLC over a lien placed on the COSON account in reaction to a
request by a faction of the board backed by petitions signed by key
stakeholders and the regulator's (Nigeria Copyright Commission) position on the
crisis that engulfed the society after Tony Okoroji's purported reinstatement
as Chairman on December 19, 2017.
For
avoidance of doubt, we would like to state that every kobo collected by COSON
over the past nine years belongs to members and affiliates whose works have
been licensed by users and these owners have demanded an independent audit of
the accounts and operations of the collecting society under Okoroji's tenure as
chairman.
The
interests holding on to the reins have chosen the fatal hemorrhaging of the
accounts and bloody battering of the image of COSON over compliance with the
regulator's directives. They have chosen the devastating decline in revenue and
the ignominy of a suspended licence over submission to the loud call for an
independent audit by the members whose works generate the revenue they are so
desperately trying to access at Access Bank.
The
people masquerading as protectors of the interest of "thousands of
Nigerian musicians across the country" are the same people who have ran
foul of the regulation by spending almost three times the 30% allowed for
operating costs in 2018 and failed to secure the renewal of the operating
license of COSON which expired in May 2019 thereby risking the demise of the
once-admired collecting society.
The
same people whose intransigence have muddied the waters, grounded the
collective management train and frittered off the gains of the past decade
appear to be once again inciting and mobilising a section of "innocent
Nigerian musicians" to picket Access Bank in order to ensure access to
their "Christmas bonus". This is sadly what the business of
collective management has been reduced to in Nigeria - banal politics of
misrepresentation and manipulation.
We
call on all genuine right owners to condemn and resist this crass attempt to
blackmail and intimidate Access Bank PLC. The actions of this group provide
incontrovertible evidence that their interests are not aligned with the
interest of right owners who desire a world class collective management system
that is operated with a high level of transparency, corporate governance
structure and in line with international best practices.
The
music industry has grown tremendously over the last few years to the admiration
of local and international audiences and players. We cannot afford to allow
ourselves be portrayed as a bunch of jokers or renegades represented by
faceless hustlers and "ring leaders". These people do not speak for
the right owners or the Nigerian music industry.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of Precious Eze's Blog or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!