NOW THAT PRETTY OKAFOR HAS FALLEN, WHO WILL BE NEXT?

SATURDAY BREAKFAST with TONY OKOROJI

NOW THAT PRETTY OKAFOR HAS FALLEN, WHO WILL BE NEXT?

BY PATRICK DOYLE (GUEST COLUMNIST)

It is no longer news that Hon Justice A.A. Oyebanji of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja, on Thursday, June 11, 2020, restrained the make believe factional president of PMAN, Mr. Pretty Okafor from further defamation of the character of my friend, Chief Tony Okoroji.

Delivering judgment in a libel action filed on May 22, 2018 by Chief Okoroji, Justice Oyebanji also ordered Pretty Okafor to pay Chief Okoroji the sum of Two Million Naira as General Damages for the defamation of his character.

One would think that by now the Okoroji naysayers would know better than to come at Tony with lies and malice, but no, they persist to trumpet falsehood relentlessly maybe in the forlorn hope that one lie will ultimately stick.

I have continued to publicly defend Chief Okoroji because I know the man, I know his values and I know that his integrity is unimpeachable. I know that very few Nigerians work as relentlessly and give of themself so selflessly towards the progress of any national endeavour. Chief Tony Okoroji continues to succeed where others have failed woefully because unlike many other Nigerians, he is not driven by love of money but by the love of country and the wellbeing of all. With his intellect, creativity, extensive contacts and enviable work ethic, he could easily be a millionaire in any currency several times over but chooses to dedicate himself to contributing to the public good.

Look at how he took a little known PMAN and in no time, turned it into one of the nation’s most vibrant and richest associations. Everyone must ask: where is PMAN today? The agitators simply took over the association, fought over the money left by Okoroji, destroyed the association and turned it into a joke!

Just look at what Okoroji has done with COSON in about ten years. It is nothing short of a miracle. Ten years ago, no one had heard of COSON. Since then, COSON has distributed hundreds of millions of naira to musicians across the country. Have you been to the magnificent edifice called COSON House in Ikeja built by the society under Okoroji's purposeful leadership without a single naira from the government, no donor money and no debt whatsoever? Many had sworn that collective management of copyright would never work in Nigeria. Did Tony Okoroji not prove all of them wrong? Have you read Tony Okoroji’s internationally celebrated book, Copyright & the New Millionaires? The depth of the book defines the man. As incredibly busy as he is, Tony Okoroji has every single week for more than seven years written his widely read syndicated column, Saturday Breakfast. Not one week has he failed.

Tony Okoroji is an unusual Nigerian. His brilliance, personal discipline, unquenchable self-belief and never-say-die spirit can be intimidating and threatening to small people. His work ethic is such that whatever he touches seems to turn to gold and for this, many in the industry celebrate him. Fueled by greed and envy, small minded people never stop trying to cut him down. They tried to do it with THISDAY newspaper and Okoroji went to court and got a N40 million judgment against THISDAY. Charly Boy tried it and Okoroji got judgment against Charles Oputa. I was present in Okoroji’s office when Charly Boy came to plead with him. Femi Lasode got into the game, not only did Okoroji get judgment against him, Lasode’s entire possessions were confiscated by court bailiffs and his life has never been the same since. They even tried to use The Sun newspapers to damage Okoroji. When Okoroji sued The Sun, the Sun management had to settle out of court.

In an apology published in Vanguard Newspaper of November 19, 2012 and signed by the editor, the newspaper wrote, “On October 14 2011, we published an article titled “Okoroji must account for N3 million for Essien-Igbokwe Burial Funds” on our internet site, www.vanguardngr.com and on page 31 of Vanguard of the same date. We have since discovered the publication as incorrect and as such retract the said
news publication in its entirety.

“We therefore tender an unreserved apology to Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) and regret any injury the said publication must have caused him as we hold him in high esteem”.

The above words were published by Vanguard as part of an out of court settlement in a libel suit filed by Chief Okoroji against the newspaper with respect to false allegations made by Ms. Onyeka Onwenu against Chief Tony Okoroji and published in Vanguard shortly after the burial of late Christy Essien-Igbokwe.
Ms. Onyeka Onwenu went on to lose a libel suit brought against her by Chief Okoroji over the same issue and huge damages were awarded against her.

Very few Nigerians have been attacked with falsehood like Chief Tony Okoroji. No Nigerian, living or dead has won more defamation cases than Tony Okoroji. No serious person can tell you that this great Nigerian is ineffective. This is the man whose efforts contributed immensely to make both the Copyright Act and the Nigerian Copyright Commission possible. This is the same man that created and produced the iconic and breath taking Nigerian Music Awards that brought the nation’s president and his wife, state governors, ambassadors from diverse countries and stars from all over the world to rub shoulders with Nigerian artistes at an entertainment event. It was Okoroji’s NMA that began the entertainment award culture in Nigeria.

They cannot match Tony Okoroji so they try to destroy him with blatant falsehood and multiple defamation. Tony Okoroji is Nigeria’s No. 1 expert in the intricate subject of copyright, a subject which he continues to work on with so much passion. Please ask anyone who has worked with him about this man’s incredible work ethic and ability to bring diverse people together for the public good and to constantly create something out of nothing. His work is very important for the future of a lot of young Nigerians and indeed the country.

On Thursday, Tony Okoroji won yet another libel suit, this time against Pretty Okafor. The loquacious Pretty Okafor who calls himself President of PMAN seems to have been obsessed by an insatiable desire to destroy Okoroji. It appears that he joined the gang that waited for Okoroji to build COSON House, make COSON an international brand with hundreds of millions of Naira in the bank. Then, they conspired and struck to chase Okoroji out of COSON and to feast on what he has built. When their coup failed, they decided to destroy Okoroji and COSON.

O la-la, the chicken has come home to roost and the boastful Pretty Okafor has fallen yakata. Nigerians will recall that I told everyone how this will end.

Who will be next?

- Patrick Harry Doyle

Vanguard News is a daily News publication In Nigeria covering Latest news, Breaking News, Politics, Relationships, Entertaiment and Sports

HOW OKOROJI SHARED THE =N=200,000 HE COLLECTED FROM EFE OMOROGBE

EXCLUSIVE!!!

HOW OKOROJI SHARED THE =N=200,000 HE COLLECTED FROM EFE OMOROGBE

It will be recalled that Justice Josephine  Oyefeso of the High Court of Lagos State in Ikeja, last year ordered Artiste Manager, Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik to pay COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji a total of =N=200,000.00 as cost for truncating  trial in two undefended defamation cases brought by Chief Okoroji against Omorogbe. Just as the trials were about to begin in Justice Oyefeso’s court, Omorogbe’s lawyer rushed to court to beg the judge to suspend the trial so that Omorogbe could file defence to the suits.

For over 9 months, Mr. Omorogbe struggled, failed or neglected to pay the money prompting Okoroji’s lawyers to write to him warning him that if he did not pay the money within two weeks, Garnishee proceedings would be commenced to levy execution on Omorogbe’s property over the debt. As a result, Efe Omorogbe rushed to pay the sum of =N=200,000.00 to the account of Whitedove Solicitors, lawyers to Chief Tony Okoroji.

Unknown to many, the =N=200,000.00 was treated as war bounty at COSON House and Okoroji’s TOPS Ltd, both in Ikeja and among Chief Okoroji’s friends and relations. To many of Okoroji’s people, the money was seen as appetizer in what they consider to be the fruits of a main dish of damages to come as a price for  Omorogbe’s audacity to organize a failed ‘coup’ against the man considered by many to be his mentor and friend and the attempt to widely rubbish the name and character of the most respected former president of PMAN.

Tony Okoroji, the master of copyright royalty distribution, took the position that the money did not belong to him but to the many people who have stood by him in the war declared against him by the Efe Omorogbe led gang.

A source close to Chief Okoroji says that over one hundred people got a share of the Efe Omorogbe ‘loot’. Among those said to have got a piece of the action are Okoroji’s wife, his driver and housekeeper and every member of the COSON Board. On the day the members of the COSON staff got their share of the money, there was wide jubilation at COSON House. In unison, they thundered out the COSON mantra, “let the music pay!” Thereafter, some of the staff spent their money on recharge cards, others on pepper soup and drinks. At Okoroji’s TOPS Ltd, the scene was repeated. We are also informed that several of Okoroji’s close friends such as Patrick Doyle and his fiery lawyer and friend, Mr. James Ononiwu, did not miss out in the bonanza.

Said our source, “you will be surprised that some journalists got their own share of the money and so did some staff of the NCC who are pretending to be fighting Chief Tony Okoroji. ‘Presido’ did not spend one naira of the money on himself. I am not sure that he is interested in Efe Omorogbe’s money. I believe he just wants Efe Omorogbe to learn a bitter lesson”.

P.M Walker for TOPS

Culled from dailynewscover.com

EFE OMOROGBE & “AIBEE” ABIDOYE IN IT AGAIN

COSON LAWYER HAMMERS EFE OMOROGBE & “AIBEE” ABIDOYE

Mr. James Ononiwu of Whitedove Solicitors, renowned lawyer to Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has swiftly reacted to a media statement jointly issued by Efe Omorogbe who led the failed 2017 “coup’ in COSON and his friend, Ibukun “Aibee” Abidoye of Chocolate City Music.

In separate but similar letters to Mr. Omorogbe and Ms. Abidoye titled “WARNING!” and dated March 20, 2020, Mr. Ononiwu took serious issues with the duo for attacking the 10 billion naira lawsuit recently filed by COSON against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).  

In his letter to Omorogbe, Mr. Ononiwu wrote, “Our attention has been drawn to an ill-advised statement dated March 19, 2020 credited to you and one Ibukun “Aibee” Abidoye in which you went on a tirade against our client in what is clearly another attempt to damage the image and hard won reputation of our client.

“We are not unaware of the likely frustration you may be going through as a result of the calamitous and disgraceful failure of your plot to hijack the Chairmanship of COSON and take over the society in 2017, a plot which the members of COSON overwhelmingly shot down. You are obviously unhappy that despite everything you have thrown at our client, in your rage at the wholesale rejection by the members of our client of your plot to take over COSON, our client continues to stand tall.

“We however did not believe that your desperation will get to the point where you will completely throw caution to the wind and publicly and openly become the judge in an important matter before a court of competent jurisdiction in which you are not even a party. How dare you!!!

Continued Mr. Ononiwu, “It appears that after three years of your misadventure, you are still daydreaming of leading COSON, an organization you have done everything to strangulate and impose punishment on its innocent members. Be told that your current attempt to desecrate the temple of justice will not be laughed at.

“Are you saying that the Nigerian Copyright Commission with its battery of lawyers is not competent to defend itself with respect to the weighty issues our client has brought to court or are you confirming the wide speculation that you have been working hand in hand with some people in the NCC in the attempt to strangulate COSON and impoverish the thousands of members of COSON? Are you saying that COSON which has been built on the constant questioning of the law no longer has any right to go to court to question the use or misuse of Nigerian law? Meanwhile, both you and Ms. Abidoye’s company are in court seeking judgment against our client!”

The fiery Lagos lawyer concluded by warning Efe Omorogbe and “Aibee Abidoye”. In the words of Mr. Ononiwu, “You are hereby severely warned that Nigeria remains a nation of laws and if you do not caution yourself and desist henceforth from being a self-appointed judge, publicly commenting and passing judgment on any of our client’s cases before any court of law, we will ensure that the full weight of the law is brought against you without any further reference to you”

NCC’S OBI EZEILO LOSES ROUND ONE IN 100 MILLION NAIRA SLANDER ACTION FILED BY OKOROJI

A Lagos High Court Judge, Mr. Justice A.M. Lawal this Monday, January 13, 2020, bluntly told Mr. Obi Ezeilo, a senior official of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), that he cannot use any lawyer in the employ of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to defend himself in the =N=100 Million slander action brought against him by Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).

Mr. Ezeilo who is a lawyer, had announced himself and one Abiola Adekunle, another lawyer employed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission as representing him in the SUIT NO ID/ADR/2389/2019 in which Chief Okoroji has asked the court for an order mandating Ezeilo to retract the “false and slanderous” statements made by him against Chief Okoroji on October 25, 2018 and issue an apology to Chief Okoroji prominently published in four (4) recognized national daily newspapers. Chief Tony Okoroji has also asked for General Damages for slander in the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) and a perpetual injunction restraining Mr. Ezeilo, Ezeilo’s servants, privies or agents or otherwise called, from further uttering or publishing or causing to be published the said words or any words defamatory of Chief Okoroji.

Reacting to Ezeilo’s announcement of his legal team, lawyer to Chief Tony Okoroji, Mr. Omo-Elo Akokaike protested vehemently and told the court that while Mr. Ezeilo may defend himself in the matter in which he is sued in his personal capacity, he cannot engage the services of lawyers under the employ of the Nigerian Copyright Commission and paid by the Federal Government to defend himself. He insisted that what Mr. Ezeilo was trying to do was unknown to law and legal practice in Nigeria.

Despite what turned out to be a prolonged and hot argument by Mr. Ezeilo that he is Head of Prosecution at the Nigerian Copyright Commission and that at the relevant time he was acting in his official capacity, Justice Lawal sided with Chief Okoroji’s lawyer and determined that Ezeilo had been brought to court in his personal capacity and that he cannot use any government lawyer to defend himself.

The Judge adjourned the matter to March 7 to deal with any pending applications while immediately sending the case to the ADR Track for possible resolution before the adjourned date.

Present in court were Chief Tony Okoroji and renowned COSON Lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu of Whitedove Solicitors.