Nigeria: COSON envisions growth in 2019

The controversy culminated in its suspension by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC). Now Tony Okoroji, one of the embattled heads of the body, according to an official COSON statement, says the new leadership at the NCC should stop "the destabilisation, meddling and unending interference in the internal affairs of COSON, a 100% private sector organisation set up without one naira of public money".

Okoroji might have also been referring to the NCC's decision in October to take COSON to court.

"The NCC is empowered to sanction a collective management organisation for failing to comply with the regulatory provisions regarding its operations or refusing to comply with the directive of the commission," the NCC said last year. "Such sanctions may include suspension of the operating licence of a collecting society and in appropriate cases, revocation of the licence.

"Furthermore, it is an offence under the Copyright Act to operate as a collecting society or otherwise carry out the functions of a collective management society without a valid licence of the NCC. The criminal charge filed against COSON and some members of its management team followed an investigation by the NCC, the outcome of which showed that COSON has acted in violation of the relevant provisions of the law."

The outcome of that court case is pending. Nonetheless, COSON has expressed a wish for "a more co-operative relationship with the NCC so that the tremendous local and international goodwill and expertise available to COSON can be deployed not just for the good of COSON members but for the progress of the entire Nigerian creative community and the Nigerian nation".

Okoroji said “some of our friends were scared that in 2018 COSON will scatter or die like many creative industry organisations before it” but the body survived the year.

"Rather than die, COSON has become stronger," he said. "We wish to assure our friends that COSON has become a better organisation as a result of the challenges and that our membership has continued to grow, the relationship between the board, management, consultants and affiliates has become even more solid and that we see 2019 as a year of tremendous growth for copyright management in Nigeria.”

Efe Omorogbe, COSON's other controversial head, is yet to comment on Okoroji's vision for the year ahead.