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17/04/2025
Happy birthday to His Excellency, High Chief. Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii (Anyichuks)
Writing about you might take the entire day or days to be able to describe your personality, and what you represent in the lives of many.
You've been a bacon of hope and inspirations to our generation and today marks the incredible milestone and another fulfilled year.
As you celebrate this amazing year, may I humbly join the good people of like minds and the host of heavens to sincerely celebrate and appreciate the humility and doggedness in you.
I pray for this new chapter of yours and the actualization of Anyi g'emeya as it's a promise of possibilities. Congratulations and cheers for a greater heights in all ramifications!
I sincerely celebrate you always Omezuoraoha 1 of Isuokoma Kingdom.
I had that Nwifuru wants to buy 171, SUVs to 171, Counsellors in Ebonyi State... Wonders!
Do you know what it means to have a first class illiterate in law as Governor? You go fear law nah! 😍 😢 😂
Justice for Nigerians, over hardship under, Tinubu’s government within two years in office!
Gov. Nwifuru, what the nominated appointee, Chief Matthew & Chief Austin Umahi removed.Challenged Umahi for a fight!
06/08/2024
SOCRATES PREDICTION OF THE FALL OF DEMOCRACY:
"Democracy must fall because it will try to tailor to everyone: "The poor will want the wealth of the rich, and democracy will give it to them.
"Young people will want to be respected as elderly, and democracy will give it to them. "Women will want to be like men, and democracy will give it to them.
"Foreigners will want the rights of the natives and democracy will give it to them. "Thieves and fraudsters will want important government functions, and democracy will give it to them.
"And at that time, when thieves and fraudsters finally, and democratically take authority; because criminals and evil doers want power, there will be worse dictatorship than in the time of any monarchy or oligarchy."
Socrates (470-399 B.C.)
Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo: Mike Ejeagha’s Royalties Drama With Premier Records – Setting the Record Straight.
By Charles Ogbu.
Before I start, let me make it categorically clear that the sole purpose of this piece is to provide FACTUAL information to the millions of Mike Ejeagha’s fans regarding the TRUE STATE of what the Omekagu crooner is earning from his music management company as royalties.
In the 1960s, the legendary folklorist, songwriter and guitarist, Michael Nwachukwu Ejeagharibe popularly known as Gentleman Mike Ejeagha entered into a music management contract with Phillips West Africa Records, a music company established in 1963 which later changed its name to Phonogram Records and later to Polygram Records before its current name; Premier Records Limited. Then, the company was managed by White people and everything was rosy between them and the Ezeagu born songmaker. The latter was getting his royalties as at when due. Matter of fact, it was LARGELY from royalties paid him on his songs by the music company that Ejeagha built the house he is currently living in, in Abakpa, Enugu, built another house in his home town, Imezi owa, Ezeagu local government area of Enugu state, bought a coaster bus for his music group, bought a Station Wagon, repeatedly upgraded his musical equipment and trained his kids. ‘LARGELY’ because Ejeagha had other streams of income having worked with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Anambra Broadcasting Service which later became Enugwu State Broadcasting Service where he was in charge of a programme known as Akuko N’egwu series (telling stories in music) before and after the Biafra war.
The story completely changed in the 1980s when indigenous Nigerians took over management of some enterprises after the Indigenization Policy of the 1970s. Royalties almost stopped coming and in the rare times they did, the process was never transparent.
On the 5th day of June, 2006, the company took Ejeagha to court, accusing him of trying to make a video version of one of the songs signed to them. The case lasted over 13 years which saw Ejeagha being dragged from one court to another. In late 2018 when the global Igbo language and culture advocate, Amarachi Attamah introduced me to him, Ejeagha’s only prayer to Amarachi and I was to save him from the company. Showing us injuries he sustained from three falls he had on the roads while attending court sittings, a frustrated Ejeagha told us he was willing to relinquish his rights and whatever royalties over those songs if that would make the company allow him live out his old age in peace.
That same day after meeting with his family, Amarachi and I would reach out to our then governor, Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi who gave us full access to the state ministry of justice with a view to ensuring Ejeagha didn’t stand alone. The following day, I travelled to Lagos for a meeting with the then chairman of Premier Records, Mr Eyutche who assured me they would de-escalate the court case. Sadly, he would later succumb to Covid.
To cut the long story short, on the 11th day of April, an Enugu Federal high court presided over by Honorable Justice I.N Buba entered a consent judgement in suit No. FHC/EN/CS/96/2006 between Ejeagha and Premier Records which clearly mandated the plaintiff (Premier records) to amongst other things:
Review the royalty rate every three (3) years;
Send to Ejeagha a statement of account indicating all royalties accruing from the exploitation of his musical works;
Prepare royalty statement on quarterly basis and payment made 30 days after the end of the quarter;
Increase Mike Ejeagha’s royalties from 8% of the total earnings to 10%;
Pay the defendant (Ejeagha) 20% of earnings on all sales accruing from digital downloads/music streaming and Ring Back Tune platforms and 50% on synchronization rights;
As I type, this is five (5) years since that consent judgment was delivered but Premier Records HAS NOT reviewed the royalties payable to Ejeagha as ordered by the court neither has the company sent any account statement indicating how much they are making from his songs and how his royalty percentage is arrived at. No transparency, no nothing.
Even more painful is the fact that Premier Records HAS NEVER PAID EJEAGHA MORE THAN N30,000 (Thirty Thousand Naira only) on quarterly basis and even this 30,000 which no one knows how they arrive at, hardly come as at when due.
Since 2018 till date, Ejeagha trends almost every year starting from when we renovated his Abakpa home to when the then state governor and other dignitaries visited him to when we organized a massive 91st birthday party for him and when the Limpopo crooner kcee visited till now that the popular Skit maker, Brain Jotter made one of his song a global internet sensation. And each of these trends is more traffics to his songs in all online and streaming platforms. A quick search reveals his songs is among the top searched. The numbers are there and as they say, numbers don’t lie. TikTok will pay handsomely for the traffic generated by Brain Jotter and millions of others using that Ejeagha’s trending “gwo gwo gwo” sound.
Yet,
what Ejeagha keep getting from his music company is LESS THAN N30,000 per a quarter which is not even up to N10,000 a month
25/07/2024
Ballpoint pen drawing
Behind the Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo challenge By
Gentleman MIKE EJEAGHA
In the Animal kingdom, the king's daughter refuses to marry the suitors that came for her hand in marriage, she had a big fantasy of riding across the village on an elephant. So she said that any suitor that brings a life elephant to her will have her as a wife, so the king announces to all the animals in the kingdom and all of them were so discouraged about it but the tortoise went to the king and said "I will marry your daughter, I will bring a life elephant and have her as my wife.
I came before to marry her but you people chased me away but this time, I will marry her, so he also proceeded to the elephant house because the tortoise and the elephant were good friends, so he went to the elephant house and said "The king of my village will be having an OFALLA in the next two days and he said that you will be the chief of the occasion.
An OFALLA is the biggest festival in Igbo land, so if any traditional ruler should invite you, you are highly honoured. So the elephant was so delighted and enthusiastic to be there already, tortoise told the elephant "The king instructed me to come and pick you in the next two days so ready.
The day arrived and the tortoise didn't make it early to the elephant so the elephant was bit pi**ed off like you said I'll be the chief of the occasion but you came late to pick me " the sun is already setting down, so the tortoise told elephant don't worry we will get there on time. Tortoise was walking slowly the elephant was not comfortable with that he said, please can you hurry up let's get there on time.
Then the tortoise requested please can I climb on your back so that you can carry me along, so I will get there on time. The elephant agreed so when the tortoise climbed on the back of the elephant he requested again, Please can I tie this rope in my hand around your neck so that I can be stable on your back " the elephant agreed too, so they started the journey on getting to the palace the tortoise started singing.
"Nnam Eze akpata m Enyi" (My king I have brought the elephant)
So the elephant replied " Nwa mbe isi n' ikpata onye? ( Who are you taking to the king? ) What are you trying to say, the tortoise replied
Asi m ani ya Dube enyi chebe enyi" Enyi n' aga na anyi so gi na azu.
I told the land to guard you, Mr. elephant proceed we are strongly behind you. That means you miss understood me. I was simply telling the land to guide your feet and keep you safe. Mr. elephant proceed we are strongly behind your back, you are going to be the chief of the occasion. So the elephant was deceived" he agreed and they got to the palace, the tortoise handed over the rope that was tied around the elephant to the king and the significance of the rope tied around the elephant means that the tortoise has the ownership and dominance over the elephant.
Now in IGBO LAND if you are presenting any life animal to someone there must be a rope around the animals neck, to show true ownership of the animal and dominance too.
So that was how the tortoise deceived his friend elephant, and by the time the elephant noticed what was going on it was too late because the kingdom had already captured the elephant so the king handed over the daughter to the tortoise and the elephant became the beast of Burden, they were riding on the elephant across the village.
END OF THE STORY
So in this story, Mike Ejeagha was trying to derive moral lesson which means "Be careful of the friends you go places with because some of them cannot be trusted.
Thanks for reading! 💙 Copied
Look at the leaders of Nigeria, this country is a cruise!
You shall dance a glorious dance before the end of this week in Jesus Might Name Amen
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