By Charles Okogene
There is no better time than today to appreciate Chief Tony Okoroji as he celebrates his birthday. Only a few, if there is any, have laid their lives on the line for copyright like him.
Chief Anthony Okoroji whose contributions to the enactment of the copyright act first by the then Ibrahim Babangida’s military administration through the untiring effort of the late Bola Ajibola the then Minister of Justice and Attorney General, gave Nigeria its first set of copyright law.
Okoroji as the young Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) president in his 20s had put his life on the line in demanding for a copyright law and commission in Nigeria when he assumed the president of the association
Okoroji, then as the youngest ever president of the association, led Nigerian musicians to the then office of Ajibola in Marina Lagos to demand for a copyright law for creative Nigerians. He did this in the days of the military government not minding that he could be arrested or shot as the military had zero tolerance to protest of any form, be it peaceful or violent. Okoroji did it and today, Nigeria has a copyright law that governs the affairs of creative people and a commission that is the umpire between the right owners and users.
If and when the names of those who made it possible is to be documented, that of Okoroji will be written in not only letters of gold but in glittering ones.
On assumption of office in the 1980s as PMAN president, Okoroji had set his eyes on three cardinal points.
One was the establishment of the then immensely popular Nigerian Music Awards, NMA.
Two, the unification of Nigerian musicians under one umbrella.
And the third was a better welfare for not only musicians but the creative people through copyright so that they can earn decent wages from their creative works.
While the NMA, which was likened to the Grammy Awards and, which was the first of its kind not only in Nigeria but in entire Africa did not survive more than the days of Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, same for the unity among singers in Nigeria as the semblance of oneness, which Okoroji’s days as PMAN boss brought has been fragmented into so many factions, but not so to Copyright laws as there are so many copyright management organisation (CMOs) that the law brought about and they still stand the test of time. These are some of the things Okoroji will be remembered for when he goes the way of all mortals whenever it pleases his creator.
After that historic protest that forced Ajibola to begin the process of giving Nigeria a copyright law of its own, Okoroji was among eminent Nigerians that were called upon to give Nigeria a workable Copyright Act as it was known then. He was also one of the earliest board members of Nigerian Copyright Commission that the Act gave birth to
Since then Okoroji has not looked back in his campaign for copyright, he has set his hands on the plough and whoever sets his hands on the plough, does not look back and he has not looked back.
As PMAN boss, he led other musicians to establish the first solely owned Nigerian musicians’ copyright company , known as Performing Rights Society, (PRS).
With stakeholders like the late Chris Ajilo, Mrs. Keji Okunowo, late Mrs. Essien-Igbokwe, late Roland Onwuama, Mr. Laolu Akins, he set out on the difficult journey of making Nigerians pay for music they enjoy, in making radio/TV stations, pub, viewing centres get licence for the body of musical works they play; even airlines.
Not satisfied with the rate at which PRS was growing, he thought of a unified CMO for the country; worked towards it with some stakeholders but irreconcilable differences set in and the idea failed.
But not one to quit as quitters do not win, he came up with the idea of a brand new CMO and in 2010 Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) was approved by Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) as the only sole collective organisation for music in Nigeria. As expected Okoroji got some Nigerian musicians to buy into the new CMO, get down to business, and in just few years began to distribute dividends to its members and the icing on the cake, is that less than a decade of existence, COSON built a muti-storey magnificent building of its own. A feat, no musician body has ever achieved in Nigeria.
All these he did without receiving a donation, collecting loan/grant from any government or organisation or check-off due from its members.
Aside all these, he has written a book that shows that an average creative person can live a decent life of its work if it’s copyright is well managed
For this and many more this writer nominates Okoroji for the award of the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
Happy birthday chief!
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