Entertainment
COSON Calls for End of ‘Divide and Rule’ in Nigerian Music Industry
Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the nation’s largest copyright collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings, has called for the coming together of the different interest groups within the music industry to properly tackle the problems of the industry, and to end the era of ‘divide and rule’ which it says has been deployed to pauperize the stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry.
In his “No Music Day” address to the nation issued from COSON House in Ikeja, and syndicated on multiple media platforms across the nation and across the world on September 1, 2020, the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, said, “On this ‘No Music Day’, we must tell the musicians of Nigeria that our problems will not be solved until we stop the bickering and factionalization in our industry which most times are exploited to keep us down. We must work together in the interest of our country and the young people who look towards us for guidance. We must understand that in a democracy, there will be alternative points of view. Each alternative view should not result in the setting up of an alternative faction”
Continued Chief Okoroji, “We should no longer tolerate a situation where there are diverse organizations in the industry that upon close observation provide no answers and do nothing for anyone except those who claim to be their leaders”
In the words of the celebrated former President of PMAN, “All true musicians in Nigeria must be terribly embarrassed by the endless finger pointing and dirty name calling that have become the order of the day in PMAN, the once most admired and important national association whose image has been badly damaged and which has been made the laughing stock of the nation. The time has come for the bickering and quarrelling to stop and for those in the industry who truly have the interest of musicians at heart to come together and work with one another to ensure that the industry speaks with one voice on critical issues. We must take to heart the immortal words of the late Dr Martin Luther King Jnr who said, ‘We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools’”.
Speaking on the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on the music industry Chief Okoroji held that while the pandemic has hit practically everyone badly, it has been devastating for musicians in Nigeria. According to him, with all event venues shut down, event centres, hotels and nightclubs closed, no birthdays, no weddings, no product launches, no concerts and not even funerals allowed, the income of thousands of musicians in Nigeria has been crushed.
He declared that it was as a result of this devastating situation that during the Coronavirus lock down, the COSON Board took the bull by the horn and earmarked the sum of N72.5 million naira of COSON money for distribution to musicians across Nigeria to cushion the crushing effects of the pandemic. According to him, “the great lesson is that there was no quarrel whatsoever about the distribution of the money because it was done transparently. Of course, we could have done a whole lot more if the many obstacles placed in our way by the Nigerian environment were not there”
Said the COSON Chairman, “the fact that this broadcast is being made from the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja built without one naira of government money, no loan, grant or debt whatsoever places on record what the Nigerian creative community can do if no shackles are placed on us.
“We have read in the newspapers and heard on broadcast media that the government is interested in providing COVID 19 palliatives for the creative industry. We find it odd that as the one Nigerian organization with the greatest number of creative people and undeniable structure, several months into the COVID 19 lockdown, nobody has reached out to us, nobody has asked us any questions and nobody has provided any palliatives”.
TO WATCH THE “NO MUSIC DAY” 2020 OFFICIAL STATEMENT AS READ BY COSON CHAIRMAN, CHIEF TONY OKOROJI ON BEHALF OF THE NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY KINDLY CLICK ON THIS LINK
Entertainment
Actor Lalude Laments Unpaid N1.5m Promised Him by MC Oluomo to Campaign for Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu
Nollywood actor, Fatai Adekunle Adetayo, popularly known as Lalude, has accused the president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), MC Oluomo, of failing to fulfil financial promises made to celebrities who campaigned for President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the 2023 general elections.
Speaking during a recent episode of the Beyond the Fame podcast, Lalude expressed deep disappointment over what he described as abandonment, revealing that he and other entertainers were promised N1.5 million each by MC Oluomo but never received a dime.
Lalude, known for his iconic ‘babalawo’ roles in Yoruba movies, said he and other actors, including comedian Ganiu ‘Alapini’ Nofiu, were lodged and made to campaign for weeks without proper compensation.
According to him, they initially received N10,000 daily for feeding, but even that was stopped abruptly.
“We were camped for seven weeks. We trekked long distances every day while MC Oluomo followed us in his car. In the end, we were abandoned,” he lamented.
He claimed that both he and Alapini were promised N1.5 million each, a promise that was never fulfilled.
‘We finished the work and no dime was given to us. Is it good? It was MC who called us.
“MC promised me and Alapini. He asked us to demand for whatever we wanted. We did but we got nothing up till date.
“He took us to where we lodged to campaign for the president. He promised to give us N1.5 million each.
“Whoever is behind these misdeeds will not prosper. I know they will still come to us by 2027 and we are waiting for them?” He added bitterly.
This comes just days after veteran Nollywood actor Ganiu Nafiu, popularly known as Alapini, and actress Bukky Adekogbe Raji, also known as Aminatu Papapa, expressed deep regret for supporting President Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign.
Popular Nigerian film and stage producer, Kayode Peters, has passed away in Canada.
“Yes, he is,” Yaw told Peoples Gazette when asked if Mr Peters had died. “I am still trying to speak with his brother but he is not picking.”
Circumstances surrounding the producer’s death remain unclear as of the time of this report.
Mr Peters was known for his work on several stage plays and sitcoms, including Extended Family, and he was behind the hit comedy sitcom Flatmates in the early 2000s. He was also regarded as a significant contributor to Nigeria’s contemporary theatre and television space.
Anna Wintour has stepped down as the editor-in-chief of Vogue after an impressive 37-year tenure.
According to recent reports, Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, has initiated the search for her successor.
This significant development marks a new era in the fashion industry, given Wintour’s unparalleled influence in shaping Vogue’s editorial direction and cementing its position as a global fashion authority.
As Wintour’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of fashion enthusiasts and industry professionals, her departure raises questions about Vogue’s future direction and the potential shifts in editorial focus.
However, the circumstances surrounding her departure remain undisclosed.
