Copyright Society holds general meeting, rebuilds members’ confidence

Recently, Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) had its yearly general meeting. Held in Lagos, the attendance was impressive, as members came from Calabar, Port Harcourt, Benin, and Abuja. The four agenda business of the day was very prompt.

Chairman of MCSN board, Oris Williki and the Chief Executive Officer of the Society, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, were commended by members for giving the society the desired leadership during the 10 years battle through the National Assembly, the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation and through the Courts up to the Supreme Court.

Ayilaran said the commendation from the members of the society is a tonic that would propel the board of directors and management to work harder in the years ahead in order to ensure that members enjoyed their sweat and creativity. He assured them that the dividends of their 10 years of the patient are here now.

The consensus among members in attendance was that with the meeting, the society has rebuilt the confidence they once had in the pioneer society.

According to a long-standing member of the society, Myke Pam, with the AGM, all doubting Thomases, who, hitherto, thought the society would never recover from the 10-year hiatus from copyright administration have been put to shame from the successful conduct of the AGM.

“As a longstanding member of MCSN, the successful conduct of the AGM has rekindled the confidence we as members once had in the society. It is a statement that our dear society is back and back for good,” he said.

Some members of the society from Ilorin, Kwara State, said contrary to the rumours they heard back home, the AGM has shown that MCSN is back to business after 10 years of being in the limbo.

“I have seen it with my eyes and the message I’m taking back to Ilorin is that the society is back and nothing can shake it again especially with the two judgments by the Supreme Court. We are happy, we thank God for that,” said Toyobo, one of them.

Rapper, Eedris Abdulkaeem was emphatic in his opinion that better days are here again for the collecting society. “Nothing can shake our society again,” he said.

Eedris, who refused to join any other collecting society, knew that the persecution of the society was a temporary thing and that the society will overcome and come back stronger and bigger.

“That is exactly what has happened, society is back bigger and stronger than 10 years ago. We are prophets who see the future that is why despite the overtures I refused to withdraw my membership of MCSN. Those who did are today full of regrets,” the Nigeria Jagajaga star shared his thoughts at the AGM.

According to Joanna star, Felix Duke, it is the Lord’s doing that the society, which many in the copyright administration sector took for dead, could be holding a general meeting of its members.