Buhari sacks Tonye Jaja, Nigerian Copyright Commission board chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the Chairman of the Governing of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. Tony Clinton Jaja.

Dayo Apata, Solicitor-General of the Federation, conveyed Buhari’s directive in a letter dated 15 October, 2020, and forwarded to Jaja himself.

The body of the letter reads: “I have been directed to notify you of your removal as the Chairman, Governing Board of the Nigerian Copyright Commission by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, as conveyed vide letter Ref: 59312/V/230 of 28th September, 2020.

“Your removal is with immediate effect and you are, therefore, expected to handover all the properties of the Commission in your possession to the Director-General.”

PRNigeria recently reported that Board members of Commission had disowned a letter Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja wrote to President to sack the Director-General of the agency, Mr. John O. Asein.

Jaja had in a letter dated 22nd September 2020, requested the President to suspend Asien over alleged infractions.

But the board members, in a memo sighted by PRNigeria to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said they find the action of their Chairman embarrassing and in bad taste.

In the memo signed by Mrs. Maria Towo Austin-Odigie, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice on the board, and four others representing other sectors, said no resolution to that effect was passed by the Board, neither was the correspondence authorized or otherwise endorsed by the majority of them.

According to them, Mr. Jaja, in recent times, has orchestrated phantom allegations and petitions against the NCC Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

They said they have come to understand that the allegations are borne out of personal vendetta, undue interference in the day-to-day operations of the Commission by Chairman, as well as some unethical acts of the Chairman, in respect of allegations of plagiarism against him by the NCC Director-General.

While maintaining that no allegations of misconduct against Asien is before their Governing Board, the members said rather than focus on his primary function of steering the Board to help management deliver on the statutory mandate of the Commission, Dr. Jaja has devoted much of his energy to persecuting the DG since his application to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), asking to be converted to a full-time Chairman was turned down.

According to them, the unilateral and self-serving activities of Jaja, if not promptly checked, are capable of undermining the efficient running of the Commission to the detriment of the creative sector of Nigeria’s economy.

“Kindly bring to the attention of His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief that the recommendation contained in the letter of 22nd September 2020, from the Chairman, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja addressed to his Excellency is baseless and does not represent the position of the majority of members of the Governing Board of NCC. Hence, it should be discountenanced by His Excellency,” they urged the Minister. (PRNigeria)