By Efe Omorogbe
We do live in interesting times. I mean, with the sorry state of the industry – starving musicians, ailing structures, dying labels, ineffectual regulation, zero enforcement and all the distraction of a regressive PMAN run by individuals who seem unaware of the problems of the industry outside.
The problem with Mr. Ihidero‘s position is that while it professes a good measure of understanding of the industry, the players and the issues, it betrays a degree of haste in judgment and striking similarity with the kind of over-simplification of the issues that it criticizes and this I find rather disturbing. For over a year, a number of us have worked within the Nigerian Music industry Coalition which was birthed at the PMAN headquarters. We have seen firsthand, how the system malfunctions.
I have been a card carrying member of the union since 2006 and know about the processes. Some others within the fold have ties that predate mine while a few others are relatively new to the system. If Mr. Ihidero knows the likes of eLDee da Don and Banky W as well as he would like to believe he does, he ought to know that not one of these guys will be led by the nose to hop on a damnation-bound locomotive to pursue a course as daunting as one presented by the behemoth that is PMAN but let’s attempt to address some of his positions that I disagree with.
There were wide consultations prior to the Osogbo trip. Concerned stakeholders from different generations, genres and geographical locations were consulted prior to trip. A long list of credible people was approached to contribute to the revolution as direct and indirect players. A list that includes eLDee, Mr. Kool, KSB, Ed Jatto, M.I, Sunny Neji, Sound Sultan and yours truly cannot be fairly called Hip-hop/R&B but even that is of little significance. It is unlikely that if print journalism as an industry were in the kind of quagmire that the music industry is in now, that the more visible and empowered stakeholders in Lagos would, for fear of being accused of having a messianic complex or not being representative enough would comb the six geo political zones for regional reps before responding to an emergency.
It was evident that the guys at PMAN were far from tired of all the in-fighting and drama when days before the election, claims and counter claims of fraud and police intervention came flying. We had a choice to fold our arms, turn a deaf ear to entreaties from delegates from across the country and plot long term intervention strategies while the situation at PMAN deteriorate to the detriment of us all or get on the road and try to start a process of fixing it.
The portrayal of Chief Tony Okoroji in Mr. Ihidero’s article is unfair and the interpretation of his role is way off the mark. Let’s ignore the fact that Okoroji was wrongly reported to have recorded only a single album as opposed to several and that his direct stake and relevance are questionable as has been suggested, the Okoroji we have dealt with for more than two years has shown unmatched commitment to the development of the industry and proven to be an indispensable ally, friend, elder and leader whenever the preoccupation is progress and the target, positive results. It is indeed sad to see him so derided by a writer/film maker who will not bother to check out the stats and facts before going all out to cast aspersions on the character of his subject.
If Mr. Ihidero had taken the trouble to visit the COSON website, he would have seen a few of the Nigerian artistes, composers, writers and publishers who are members and who alongside the Federal government, have given the society the right to collect royalties from commercial users of music in Nigeria on their behalf. A little more research would have revealed the tariff structure and the fact that while the mighty FRCN and other stations engaged the society in negotiation, the owners of both Cool FM and Wazobia FM had refused to acknowledge countless letters requesting them to simply obey the law. It is instructive to note that Mr. Ihidero seems more concerned about the involvement of a certain Okoroji in the collective management equation than the fact that in is both illegal and immoral to use copyrighted
works commercially without a license irrespective of whether the user company is Nigerian or foreign-owned.
It is sad that Okoroji has been singled out for this ill-informed vilification for a decision that was made by the COSON board which is made up of eminent stakeholders and NCC representatives like Onyeka Onwenu, Obi Asika, Toju Ejueyitchie, Laolu Akins, Sunny Neji and others to compel an erring organization to obey the law.
At the end of the day, what is more important for the survival and growth of the industry – affirmative action from a congregation of progressive stakeholders or hyper-sensitivity to irrelevant issues and over-analysis of the retrogressive processes of jaundiced institutions? In practical terms, is it of more importance that Admiral Dele Abiodun has 30 albums to his name and PMAN remains an embarrassment to the industry or that MI, Banky and eLDee, albeit all Hip-hop/R&B artistes bring intelligence and competence to the table, partner with hundreds of other driven stakeholders, young and old, spark renewed hope and help establish the foundations of a modern music industry in Nigeria?
*Omorogbe is a Lagos-based talent manager, writer, and C.E.O of Now Muzik
6 comments
@Ade: We commenced registration of our people before hand. Some of us didn’t even need to register but is that the reason for the lies, blackmail, and bribe-seeking that forced the walk out? PMAN is ailing. I do hope “the propriety of the politics” solves the problems there bro. I really do.
ON OSHOGBO…I PLEAD GUILTY! – Tony Okoroji
In the last two weeks, a cheap propagandist has been unleashed to work overtime to impugn my integrity in the media. He has seized upon the events of the recent PMAN Oshogbo conference to orchestrate widespread falsehood about me and to concoct much fiction which has been printed in several newspapers as fact. I have read words like “coup”, “takeover”, “harassment”, “police”, etc used to link me with what happened in Oshogbo. In one publication on the net, I was even referred to as a “trickster” by someone who has never spoken to me.
How short, memories can be. A few years ago, a propagandist was hired in a similar fashion to use the media to destroy me. He went about his task with the same zeal. The charlatan boasted to everyone that he would write me off the streets. In practically every newspaper in the land, tales were told condemning me to terrible things I knew nothing about. I was invited to the EFCC, ICPC, SSS and everywhere else. The propagandist and his sponsors were very happy. They ate, drank and celebrated. One fine day, they were invited, one after the other, to the High Court of Lagos State to establish the foundation of their tales. To the surprise of many, the propagandist and his sponsors had nothing to show. Lo and behold, judgment days came and millions of naira in historic damages were awarded to me, month after month. The once pompous propagandist and his principals began to shake and shamelessly started appealing to my “understanding” The story is very well known. I thought that I have proven that I can fully defend myself. I also thought that my experience ought to be an indelible chapter in the development of good journalism in Nigeria but it is clear that people never learn.
I am one hundred percent for freedom of expression. I fully believe in the freedom of the press. Some of my best friends of all times are to be found in the media and I believe that without full discourse of every issue, society will not make the desired progress. What I say no to is to conscript the media to spread malice against those who have a different point of view.
The tragedy is that the blood sucking mosquitoes who think that they can hide under a great profession like journalism to execute their wicked contracts against me do not write better English than I do neither do they have better media contacts than I have. What then gives them the impetus to openly boast that they can write me off the streets? I have seen them operate. Once they get their nasty briefs and a little money, they run off like little animals and immerse themselves in their shameless assignment until reality catches up with them. Then, they and their sponsors send endless emissaries and crawl before one begging for forgiveness when at every point they fully knew what they were doing. I hereby serve notice that henceforth it will not be business as usual. They will pay appropriate price for the shameless activities they engage in.
Recently, there have been stories in several newspapers that I inspired a new generation of artistes who went to Oshogbo in a move to take over the leadership of PMAN. They miss the point. I will rather say that I have been inspired by the new generation of Nigerian artistes who have sought to inject new blood into PMAN. Their intellect, vision, commitment and values give me hope that there is a future not just for the Nigerian entertainment industry but for our country. I am proud of the likes of el Dee, Banky W, Sunny Neji, MI, Mr. Kool, KSB, Sound Sultan, D’ Banj, Wande Coal, Don Jazzy, 2 Shotz, Efe Omorogbe, Ed Jatto, Baba Dee, Don T, D’Prince, Dr. Sid, K-Switch, Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz and the others who made the decision to undertake the long trek to Oshogbo at personal cost. They gave me a chance to break bread with them and share water and to speak honestly with them about the Nigerian entertainment industry and our country. I am very proud of the camaraderie we established and the opportunity it offers our industry and our nation.
The way the propagandist has orchestrated it, I am supposed to be ashamed of my link with these great Nigerian artistes and should apologize for having been found with them. I plead guilty to sharing their aspiration and values. I plead guilty to caring enough to do something when many others would rather hide their heads and shame in the sand and complain endlessly. I plead guilty to having walked out with them when they made the correct decision that they would not give one naira to anyone to be voted into any office.
I know a lot of “specialists” in Nigerian politics who believe that the end justifies the means and that the young people should have stayed behind, been part of the bazaar in Oshogbo and battled it out, naira for naira, slander for slander. I plead guilty to agreeing with my younger brethren that no one ought to sell his soul for any office, no matter how high or attractive. I plead guilty to having left Oshogbo a very happy and proud man. Indeed, I am a proud signatory to the Oshogbo Declaration.
Let me clarify that I was not a gatecrasher at the PMAN Oshogbo conference. I was invited in writing by the leadership of PMAN. My friend, Dele Abiodun, personally handed me the keys to VIP 7 at Gazal Hotel. I did not sleep there but chose to lay my head in more modest quarters elsewhere. Maybe the expectation was that I will show up in Oshogbo to lend my name and imprimatur to the infamy that was going on. Those in the PMAN leadership ought to know me enough by now to know that I do not play hanky- panky. I do not operate in the dark. I call a spade a spade.
I was at the meeting which the young artistes held with Admiral Abiodun by the swimming pool of Gazal Hotel in Osogbo. Each of the artistes showed Dele great courtesy and respect. No one used an expletive, no one raised his voice and there was no threat or even the slightest hint of violence. There was certainly no gun and no police called by anyone. The artistes simply said to Admiral Dele Abiodun that they have come of age and were ready to serve their elders and appealed to him for his support. At that point, Dele had not given any indication that he wanted to return as President of PMAN.
It is my belief that my friend, Dele Abiodun, missed a great opportunity to make history in Oshogbo. He would forever have been remembered as the one who rescued PMAN and ensured the needed generational shift. He has worsened the matter by unleashing his propagandists on the young artistes, the true face of today’s Nigerian music industry whose “sin” is that they sought to participate in determining their destiny. The people he has sought to humiliate are the most important assets that would have been deployed to turn PMAN around in weeks.
For many years I have resisted every invitation to join in forming an alternative union to represent musicians in Nigeria. I was President of PMAN at 29 years old and worked day and night with a team of very dedicated people to spread PMAN across the country. We rallied musicians, young and old, to turn PMAN into one of the most admired professional organizations in Nigeria. Our vision was clear – to create a positive direction for the music industry and generate respect for Nigerian musicians. We set targets and toiled to achieve those targets. We were so engrossed in our task that no one was concerned with privileges. These days all I hear about is endless battles over privileges. Every small disagreement or difference of opinion within the PMAN leadership in recent years has ended up at a police station and become intractable.
With all humility, no group can honestly claim to have sacrificed more than the team I led to the building of the PMAN brand and no one can desire more than me that PMAN be rescued. The brand has however become badly tarnished and there is too much disconnect between PMAN and the musicians it is set up to serve. Any attempt to clean up PMAN is fiercely resisted by persons who act as if their entire lives depend on clutching on to the tarnished brand and milking it. When you get to this point, you must ask yourself very serious questions about the true objectives of the organization. Is it a means to an end or an end in itself? I was Chairman of PMRS. When it became obvious that PMRS was not delivering the right results to the stakeholders, I supported the killing of PMRS. Today, working with others, we have set up a world class organization in COSON. It is doing things that PMRS could not do. I have promised the good Lord that as long as He gives me the opportunity, I intend to contribute towards a better Nigerian entertainment industry. I will work with any well meaning group, young or old, in or out of office, in that direction. No propagandist will scare me away and if giving everything I can to make the industry better for the good of everyone and the growth of our nation is a crime, I plead guilty!
Thanks you very much Efe Omorogbe… I refer your lines- In practical terms, is it of more importance that Admiral Dele Abiodun has 30 albums to his name and PMAN remains an embarrassment to the industry or that MI, Banky and eLDee, albeit all Hip-hop/R&B artistes bring intelligence and competence to the table, partner with hundreds of other driven stakeholders, young and old, spark renewed hope and help establish the foundations of a modern music industry in Nigeria?
>>> I ‘really’ hope this beautiful write-up gets to the right people for necessary deliberation to provide a partnership that will involve the old and new generation of artistes so they can thrive under the same body.
whats the meaning of what you guyz are saying? can someone pls tell me
Really, i just wish banky would be elected as the pman chairman..
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