2FACE IDIBIA,BANKY W AND OTHERS BANNED BY NIGERIA BROADCASTING CORPORATION

The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, BON, and the Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria, IBAN, have stopped airing musical productions belonging to the following musicians; Chief Ebenezer Obey, 2Face Idibia, Onyeka Onwenu, Banky W,Iyanya, Azizat, D’Banj, Olamide, Dr. SID, Sammy Okposo, Olu Maintain, Sunny Neji, Rugged Man, Jasman Olofin, X-Project, Asa, African China, Terry G, Waje, Omawumi, Sound Sultan and J Martins.

The two bodies said they were constrained to take this step principally as “a result of COSON’s attitude of antagonism and harassment under the leadership of Tony Okoroji (COSON Chairman)”.

“No person or organisation, particularly a collection society such as COSON has a monopoly of authority over any other…IBAN and BON have the utmost respect for Nigerian artistes in their individual and collective capacities and have indeed contributed more than any known institution to the promotion of Nigerian music and the development of the entertainment industry as a whole,” the statement reads.

But in a swift reaction, Okoroji, COSON boss, said his organisation has read with amusement the empty threat by the leadership of BON that its affiliate stations would no longer play the music of Nigerian citizens on Nigerian stations because Nigerian musicians are asking for their right to be paid copyright royalties for the exploitation of their music as is done in every country in the world.

He said it is only in a country like Nigeria that this can take place with some people having no regards for intellectual property.

“The threat by the leadership of BON reveals the crass ignorance with which some members of BON have been misled and steered into easily avoidable crisis. For many years, this people have used ‘divide and rule’ tactics and threats to weaken the music industry and ensure that the industry did not effectively challenge its exploitation,” Okoroji said.

According to PMNEWS,Prince Emeka Mba, Director General, National Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, has waded in.

The NBC boss is said to have called for a negotiated settlement, wondering how the stations can do away with works of the affected artistes who are the best in Nigeria and still meet up with requirement of NBC.