COSON , hoteliers agree on royalty as NTDC settles rift

History was made in Abuja recently as hoteliers in the country under the aegis of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) and Hotel Employers and Personal Services Association of Nigeria (HOPSEA) and the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) signed an agreement seeking to ensure the payment of royalties to music artistes across the country.

The agreement, which was brokered by the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation NTDC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, was signed at the Bolingo Hotel and Towers and had the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Hotel Owners’ Forum Association (HOFA) as witnesses.

The agreement for payment of royalties by hotels and similar establishments took two days of intense negotiations between all affected parties with Otunba Runsewe having to intermittently calm frayed nerves.

In his remarks just after the signing ceremony, the NTDC chief expressed his joy at the landmark achievement saying his passion for the growth of the hospitality and music industry necessitated his resolve to find a lasting solution to the impasse, while thanking all concerned for their cooperation, especially the NCC whom he described as a major witness to the event.

Fielding questions from journalists, Runsewe said, “Today is very historical because, for a very long time, there had been some disagreement between the copyright and different stakeholders and our corporation has taken the lead by resolving the entire issue. We have signed the agreement and all hotels across the country will now be able to pay the royalty fee for using intellectual materials”.

Speaking further, he revealed that all court cases had been withdrawn, stressing that what obtains now is a level-playing field for all parties. In his words, “Most importantly, all court cases have been withdrawn. No more court cases and so it’s now a level-playing field for everyone”

Displaying the documents to journalists, Otunba Runsewe noted that all parties involved signed the agreement, saying, “I would like to show it to you. All parties have signed, from the Copyright, HOPSEA and HOFA whose presidents are here, my good self and the NCC have all signed this agreement.”

He observed he was particularly happy and proud as a Nigerian that we can resolve issues among ourselves instead of dragging issues, thereby overheating the polity.He said the historic event represented a boost for tourism development and victory for the generality of Nigerian artistes.

Runsewe used the platform to appeal to other sectors to take a cue from the momentous occasion by resolving issues expeditiously and amicably, advising that such moves would help the country by creating more jobs and making the environment better for Nigerians.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji, was visibly excited, averring that, “The basic issues are that music used in Nigerian hotels and similar establishments from now on would be paid for so that the musicians will no longer be working in vain”, adding, “This has taking many decades of fights, but finally we have put pen on paper and we have all agreed that this is worth doing because it is what is done everywhere in the world.”

He was upbeat that the move will create employment for Nigerians, while young people will now be excited expressing their talents because, according to the COSON chair, “A lot of our young people who will want to get employment in the area will be excited because they know that they will be reward for the work that they do, and creativity will thrive in Nigeria”

At the end of the signing ceremony, all parties involved including HOFA President, Abuja Chapter, Engineer Onofiok Ekong; HOPSEA boss, Chief Samuel Alabi, who also doubles as president of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN); representative of NCC, J. S. Fagbemi and DG, NTDC shook hands in a show of friendship and unity which they agreed was necessary in taking the industry to the next level.

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