The chairman of the Copyright Society Of Nigeria (COSON), Tony Okoroji, has reacted to a new court ruling that ordered Onyeka Onwenu to pay him the sum of N5 million as damages for defamation of character.
"I have committed much of my life to fighting for the welfare
of every musician in Nigeria and protecting the interest of all
including Ms. Onyeka Onwenu. In the battle, I have spared myself no
inconvenience or discomfort and countless times, I have had to risk my
life, my reputation and the welfare of my family."
"Working with my colleagues at COSON, we have made available to
musicians across Nigeria hundreds of millions of naira as we set out
with the building of the most professional, transparent and accountable
organization in the history of the creative industries in Nigeria,
something that was considered impossible just a few years ago."
"I wish I never had to take Ms. Onwenu to court. I consider
every Nigerian musician including Onyeka a member of my extended family.
Onyeka however left me with little choice. I went to court in self
defence. Till today, I do not know what wrong I did to Onyeka Onwenu."
"As
someone I considered a close colleague and friend, I was shocked at the
level of hatred she had generated within herself to justify her
all-consuming campaign of lies without foundation to destroy the one
thing she knows that I cherish most; my integrity."
"Every appeal to Mrs Onwenu to reconsider what she was doing
fell on deaf ears. Onyeka Onwenu has known me for many years. She knows
very well that under no circumstance would I take a penny that does not
belong to me but it suited her purpose to project me to the world as a
thief. Onyeka knows that I am a stickler for rules and order but it made
her happy to tell the world that I am lawless and a despot."
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja
yesterday,Thursday, June 30, 2016 ordered Onyeka Onwenu to pay the sum
of five million naira as damages for defamation of character to Chief
Tony Okoroji, former President of PMAN and Chairman, Copyright Society
of Nigeria (COSON).
Delivering judgment in Suit No:
ID/935/12 filed in 2012, Hon Justice I. O. Akinkugbe (Mrs.) also ordered
Mrs. Onwenu to tender an unreserved public apology to Chief Okoroji to
be published in Vanguard Newspapers and www.vanguardngr.com, the website of Vanguard Newspapers.
The war between Okoroji and Onyeka can be traced back to 2011 when
Okoroji went to court to challenge the publication of an article in the Vanguard newspaper edition of October 14, 2011 which he considered a deliberate attempt to malign or defame him.
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