Tony Okoroji, Keke Ogungbe reconcile

May 31, 2014

 

Tony Okoroji and Keke Ogungbe

A year ago, Chairman of Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, and Managing Director of Ray Power FM, Keke Ogungbe, made headlines with their altercation at a public function in Lagos.

It was reported that the two no longer saw eye to eye after the incident, which many believed, could have arisen when COSON slammed law suits against radio stations for copyright infringements.

But the two gentlemen have certainly buried the hatchet as COSON and the broadcasting industry have settled and signed an agreement at an event held in Lagos recently.

It was celebration galore at the star-studded signing ceremony attended by the Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba; Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. Afam Ezekude; Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa who is also Chairman of the 400-member Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, and several other top government officials.

The event brought to an end the prolonged disagreement between the music and broadcast industries in Nigeria spanning over 30 years which culminated in a major crisis in the last quarter of 2013.

Okoroji and Ogungbe, who many had seen as sworn enemies, were exchanging banters and friendly hugs as such; many concluded the war between them was certainly over.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the NBC DG said, “This historic event isn’t just about the Nigerian music industry but the creative industry at large. This is about the respect of intellectual property in Nigeria. Let us all see this as the beginning of better things to come for the Nigerian creative industry. This goes to tell other sectors that have been abusing creativity that the time is up.”