NO BE TODAY WICKEDNESS BY RECORD LABELS START

###The Story of the Epic Battle Between King Sunny Ade and Chief Bolarinwa Abioro

It was in 1974 that the news broke. Chief Bolarinwa Abioro, the Balogun of Ipokia, the Chairman of African Songs Limited, had taken his star musician to court! Everyone who knew KSA knew Abioro. Everyone who knew Abioro knew Sunday Adeniyi. Sunny was the son. Abioro was the father. What could have gone wrong between father and son?

KSA was the second artiste to be signed on to the stable of African Songs Limited. Ayinde Bakare was the first. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the third. Like most creative people, young Sunny Ade was more concern about his passion and less concern about the business aspect of music. His passion was to play music and to excel as a musician.

It was enough that Abioro – one of the biggest men in the music industry at the time – was ready to promote him. They brought documents for Sunny and his band boys to sign. They called it a contract. It could have been called any other name for all that KSA cared. Won ni ko wa je saara, o ni ojo ti wonu ju. Se ata ni won ni ko mu wa ni, abi iyo. You are invited to a free feast, you are complaining about the short notice, are they asking you to bring salt or pepper? Sunny Ade and his boys didn’t hesitate. It is doubtful if any of them read what the contract said. The most important thing was that they were going to become recording artistes. Sunny signed. His band boys signed. Everybody was happy.

The contract was for 5 years. However before its expiration, KSA had become a household name. His album, Challenge Cup, sold in excess of 500,000 copies. It was certain that King Sunny Ade was going to dominate the music scene for a very long time to come. African Songs Ltd knew a good product when it saw one. The management of the company didn’t wait for the first contract to expire before they brought a new contract.

The new agreement was carefully worded. KSA and his band boys agreed to perform and record exclusively for ASL for a period of five years. ASL had full copyrights to all compositions and recordings of Sunny Ade. ASL was entitled to the sole right of production, reproduction, and use of King Sunny Ade’s performance throughout the world. That was not all. During the period of the agreement, KSA was prohibited from rendering any performance whatsoever to himself, any company or group of persons. The contract also stipulated that ASL had the option to renew the agreement at its expiration for a further term of two years or for any longer period. Sunny Ade had no such right.
That was not all. On the sale of every album which price was then fixed at N6.00, KSA and his boys were entitled to a princely sum of 20 kobo. Yes, you read that right. African Songs would go home with the remaining N5. 80 kobo. Onigegewura’s mathematics has never been good. He is just an amateur historian. You can do the sum yourself.

Still basking in the euphoria of his growing fame, Sunny gratefully signed again. His band boys signed. 20 kobo was still something. Orogun iya re da sokoto fun o, o ni ko bale, melo ni iya to bi o da fun o? You are complaining that the trousers made for you by your step-mother was not long enough, where is the one your own mother made for you? They were expecting their 20 kobo royalty on every album. Well, when the time came for actual payment, it was then discovered that mathematically and arithmetically, it was not supposed to be 20 kobo. They had not factored the cost of publicity and promotion! And since it was the artiste that was being promoted, he must be the one to bear the cost! After the addition and subtraction, Sunny was given 15 kobo per album.

KSA was not Chike Obi, the mathematician. But he knew that 20 kobo and 15 kobo were not the same thing. Compared with his contemporaries in the music industry, KSA realized that he was holding the short end of the stick.....(1)
His colleague, Baba Commander, Chief Ebenezer Obey was earning as high as 70 kobo per album. Others were earning between 35 kobo and 60 kobo.

That was when Sunny decided to ask Chief Abioro for a raise of the royalty payment. The chairman listened patiently to KSA and his colleagues. He was nodding as they canvassed one reason after another why a raise was in order. When they finished, Chief Abioro flipped open a file he had on his table. He brought out a bundle of documents. Even from where he was seated across the table, Sunny saw that it was a copy of the contract he signed. “An agreement is an agreement. It is a binding contract!” The chief informed them. “This is what you signed. This is what you are entitled to! No more, No less.” He returned the documents to the file. Case dismissed.

But Sunny was not done. “Chief, this is not about contract. You are our father. Our request is for adequate compensation! Let’s leave the contract aside.” Chief Abioro looked at the young star the way a parent looks at a child asking for another candy. “Leave the contract aside? We should leave the contract aside?” The chairman asked incredulously. “You know, it would be nice to leave the contract aside. But you know what? That would be illegal!”
Haba! Illegality ke! . It was then that someone brought up the idea of requesting some of his friends to plead their case. Sunny agreed. After all, Eni ti o mo oju Ogun, ni pa obi ni ‘re. It is the person who is conversant with Ogun, the god of iron, that is usually given the duty to administer its rites. They went to meet Prince Okunade Sijuwade who would later become the Ooni of Ife. They also met with Chief Afolabi Joseph. Even Chief Ebenezer Obey was also requested to intervene as well as Chief Nurudeen Alowonle.

The eminent persons appeared in the court of the Balogun of Ipokia as ‘amici curiae’ on behalf of the musicians. Amici curiae are lawyers invited by the judge(s) to assist in filling briefs that may be helpful to the court in deciding a case. Our eminent persons argued their case like experienced advocates. They cited relevant sections of the unwritten Yoruba constitution. They cited Yoruba proverbs. They made reference to the story of Oduduwa. The presiding chairman listened to their submissions and summarily dismissed the case. Contract is contract!

Chief did not only dismiss the request for a raise. He opened another file on his table and brought out a new set of documents. Your guess is right! A new five-year contract! By now, Sunny Ade had learnt enough law. He had become a professional mathematician. He had obtained his Master of Business Administration from practical experience. He knew the implication of putting pen to paper. He applied for an adjournment.

The King of African Beats found himself in a quandary. His new songs were ready but Chief had threatened not to release any new album until he signed the new contract. And KSA was not ready to sign any new contract until the issue of royalty was resolved.

KSA remembered his grandmother’s proverb. Ti abiku ba gbon ogbon ati ku ni igba erun, iya abiku a gbon ogbon ati sin oku e si etido. If an abiku decided to die during the dry season when he knew that the ground would be hard to dig, his parents would also decide to bury him by the riverside where the ground would not be hard to dig.

Sunny Ade decided to release his record with another company. His plan was to use the album to bargain for a better deal with African Songs. Instead of the measly 20 kobo, he was confident that the chairman would be ready to pay him at least N1.00 per copy. The album was recorded in Nigeria but taken to London for mixing. What Sunny Ade did not know was that Chief Abioro was a master at the game. Before Sunny could get a copy of his own album, Chief Abioro was already in possession of the new record.

Baba Ibeji was composing fresh materials at home when the court bailiffs arrived. They served him with an order of interim injunction!..(2)

VALEDICTORY SPEECH TO THE 9TH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY REP. @femigbaja, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (2019 – 2023). WEDNESDAY, 7TH JUNE 2023.

PROTOCOLS
Honourable colleagues, fellow Nigerians:

1. I thank God almighty, by whose grace and mercy we have gathered… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 7. We passed the Police Act to change the nature of relations between the police and citizens in our country and ensure that police officers who fall short of their responsibilities can be quickly held accountable. The Act expressly prohibits police officers from arresting… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU 29 MAY 2023

THE NIGERIAN IDEAL

My Fellow Citizens,

I stand before you honoured to assume the sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this nation is abiding. My confidence in its people, unwavering. And my faith in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Over six decades ago, our founding fathers gave bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as an independent nation.

We must never allow the labor of those who came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and bring forth a better reality.

Let us take the next great… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi is at the twilight of his many battles. During the Easter break, Obi reportedly received a cold London reception. He could not have imagined that an arrest was in the offing. While the dust on the controversial leaked telephone conversation (now dubbed “Yes Daddy”) between Obi and the founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, is yet to settle, the LP candidate has found himself in another dilemma.

"....The youngest person on the ballot for the gubernatorial elections is 40. I am 57 today, let me discount my age. What have I done at 40? .... "At 40, I have done things – I led several investment banks, 3 of them. I have worked in prospecting for Oil as part of my private sector experience. In the public sector, at 40, I have served as SA to the governor of Lagos, I have presented d budget of the state to the assembly

Q:On the naira redesign & the role in d economy

Sanwo-Olu:It has affected the economy of our people and the state in no small measure. We need to learn from countries like Saudi Arabia, England and others where the old and new notes continue to run concurrently for over a year Like the supreme court judgement has now ascertained, it is good news for me and I hope that the banks can open up their vault since we have about 8 months for the policy to catch up.

The CBN said the policy was to drive the cashless economy, it is well-intended,

@PeterObi, you went on air to tell lies as usual. Abiola lost in the SE. Even Ojkwu told reporters at the airport that he won't support Abiola because Igbo blood is on the NRC Ticket which had Sylvester Ugo, Biafra's Central Bank Governor on the ticket. I AM A LIVING WITNESS Yes, some right thinking Progressives in the SE supported Abiola and stood firmly with him. But vast majority who preferred Sylvester Ugo to him. They did so them smartly without showing crass hatred to others, may be because IPOB wasn't existing then.

SANWO-OLU: OLD NAIRA NOTES REMAIN LEGAL TENDER

The Lagos State Government has noted the hardship sparked by the Naira redesign policy, which has affected business and commercial activities. There is no reason to reject the old notes, going by the Supreme Court judgement delivered on March 3, 2023. The apex court declared that “no reasonable notice was given as required by Section 20(3) of the CBN Act,”

The polls on Saturday in one of Nigeria’s most politically turbulent states were the first in a cycle of state and federal votes culminating in presidential elections due in April 2011. Diplomats and investors hope Africa’s most populous nation can avoid a repeat of the chaos seen during the 2007 elections which brought Pres Umaru Yar’Adua to power, polls marred by widespread ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation.But the signs from Anambra were not promising

SPECIAL PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Commercial banks have been directed by the Central Bank to dispense old currency notes and to also receive same as deposits from customers. Tellers at the commercial banks are to generate the codes for deposits and there is no limit to the number of times an individual or company can make deposits.

The Governor of the CBN gave the directive at a Bankers’ Committee meeting held on Sunday, 12th March, 2023.

It was learnt that the N500 million windfall was mobilised through high-level CBN agents in Lagos. It was described as “Oga’s own contribution to the takeover-Lagos-from- Tinubu’s-influence, now that he has become the president-elect and will be relocating to Abuja”. It was learnt that Emefiele had worked to ensure that Tinubu did not emerge as presidential candidate and president-elect.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2023

PRESS RELEASE BY THE TINUBU/SHETTIMA PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COUNCIL:

OPPOSITION PARTIES MUST CONDUCT THEMSELVES WITH DECORUM NOT TO OVERHEAT THE POLITY. Our attention has been drawn to some incendiary comments by spokespersons of the opposition parties, notably the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) regarding the yet-to-be-announced results of the elections that held yesterday.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested three people, including a cleric, for attempting to export drugs to the United Arab Emirates through the NAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. Spokesman for NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said the suspects included the founder& General Overseer of Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly, Lagos, High Priest Nnodu Azuka; a student of Emmanuel College of Theology, Samoda, Ibadan, Udezuka Udoka, and their freight agent, Oyoyo Obasi

The presiding pastor of the Abuja chapter of the House on the Rock, Pastor Uche Aigbe, mounted the pulpit bearing an AK 47 rifle on Sunday. The incident which caused a stir in the church auditorium happened during the second service, which frequently has a high number of the congregation who attends from different parts of the nation’s capital.

PRESS STATEMENT

LET US MAKE THE BEST OF THIS MOMENT

The past few weeks have been a challenging one for Nigerians especially our SME’s, poor and vulnerable masses and those whose very survival depend on daily cash transactions. ..... They have felt the brunt of the combined problems of scarcity of fuel and new Naira notes.

We feel the pains of our market women and artisans who have experienced low sales because customers do not have cash to make purchases.....

"We will defeat Atiku in Jada Local Government of Adamawa State. Atiku is not in this race. Yes on paper he is but he is not a candidate. How would win, through what?...... “Atiku is using religious leaders to appeal to Kwankwaso to step down for him, Atiku used former heads of state and prominent people to appeal to Kwankwaso, Atiku used traditional rulers, spent billions of naira to persuade them to go and talk to Kwankwaso to step down for him...

ABUJA, FCT
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
PRESS STATEMENT

APC READY FOR ELECTIONS, POSTPONEMENT REPORT FALSE & RECKLESS

Our attention has been drawn to a shadowy media report in some media outlets that the All Progressives Congress is pushing for a postponement of 2023 general elections... The report is blatantly false and reckless, and bears no iota of credibility. Beyond its loud headline, the report offers no substantive justifying content aside from its intended purpose of misleading and causing needless anxiety and speculations regarding the upcoming elections

PRESS RELEASE

Tinubu hails Nigerian Governors over Supreme Court ruling on CBN Naira Swap policy All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the Governors of the 36 states for standing on the side of the Nigerian people over the Central Bank new Naira and cashless policies that have subjected the masses to pains.

"This is a challenging period in the life of our country when our people are made to stay on the line for hours to get fuel and even get their own money from the banks...... "I empathise with Nigerians across the country especially the poor masses who have been made to bear the brunt and pains of the CBN Naira policy and fuel scarcity the most.....

"It is the responsibility of public servants, especially those responsible for those policies, to look back and say ‘do we intend to cause this pain?’ And if the policy is not working, perhaps you have to readjust and ask yourself whether you thought this through,” he said. “As a public servant before and now, I have had cause to revert myself when I saw that my policies were causing unintended results.

“These policies are not yet delivering the results and it is delivering a lot of inconvenience for a lot of people.

Do you know that Gbaja provided “FREE CAMPUS WiFi” in all Public Tertiary Institutions in Lagos State? It was launched for service in February 2021 for ease of learning.

@femigbaja gesture on free Wi-Fi cuts across both FG-owned & Lagos-owned tertiary institutions in the state The 6 public tertiary insts dt have so far benefitted from Speaker's initiative on the free Wi-Fi are Univ of Lagos (@UnilagNigeria), Akoka Campus; Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo; Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu Campus; Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Edu(AOCOED), Ijanikin