Onyeka Owenu Returns to MCSN, Recounts Experience in COSON

Veteran singer, Onyeka Owenu has rejoined the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (MCSN) over a decade after she left the society for a newly formed Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).

This was revealed in a statement MCSN’s Head of Media, Halim Mohammed issued recently, saying Owenu blamed the now-defunct COSON for the alleged mismanagement of funds of musicians.

Quoted in the statement, Owenu said: “I am honoured to be here, MCSN is home. I should have been here earlier but we felt that we could put things in order at COSON.”

Owenu said she was dead wrong because, in a situation where one man thinks he knows it all, the result is the mess COSON is today.

She said: “COSON is dead as a collecting Society. It has no approval to operate as a Collecting Society and any corporate body or organisation that that pays money to them for the use of music does so at its own risk because musicians will come after them for their monies.”

She said since joining the defunct COSON 11 years ago she is yet to be paid a dime coupled with the mismanagement of musicians’ funds by the Society led to her decision to leave for MCSN.

“It was a one-man show at COSON where millions of naira were awarded in contract to one man. How can one person award contracts to a company fronting for him without bidding? Who does that? It is morally wrong. I said no, it is morally wrong.

“For this stand, I had four cases instituted against me and I had to spend my personal funds running into millions of naira defending myself in court, she revealed. Corruption is not only about the government,” she added.

Owenu said she decided to return to MCSN because she realised that with time the stance of Mayo Ayilaran and Orits Williki who had always advocated for multiple societies were right because the more the merrier.”

According to her, Orits Williki and Mayo Ayilaran are extraordinary people. They have been fighting for copyright issues for decades. Without MCSN it would have been a one-man show.

She vowed that she is back to MCSN to devote her time to ensuring that creators get their fair share of rewards in terms of royalties.

Reacting to the return of the elegant stallion to the society, the Chairman of the Board of the Society, Orits Williki said Owenu’s return to MCSN is the energizer the society needs to go all out to ensure that maximum royalties are collected for the benefits our members.

The CEO of MCSN, Mayo Ayilaran said his happiness about the return of the Songstress to the Society knows no bounds. And it will serve as the booster to spur him on to work harder for the Society and its members.

“MCSN is the natural home for Owenu, I’m very happy for this development. It will spur us on to work harder for our members so that they can enjoy the fruits of the labour while alive.”