President Buhari Sacks Dr. Jaja As Chairman, Copyright Commission

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sacked the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. Tony Clinton Jaja.
The Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mr. Dayo Apata Esq. conveyed the President’s approval for the sack of Jaja in a letter dated October 15, 2020, and forwarded to Jaja himself.
The sack 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.”
The members of the Board of the Commission had in a letter to President Buhari disowned the letter written by Jaja asking President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Director-General of the agency , Mr. John O. Asein.
Jaja had in a letter dated September 22, 2020, requested the President to suspend Asien over alleged infractions.
However, the board members in a memo 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 the members of the Board.
The members of the Board of the Copyright Commission said the sacked Chairman in recent times, 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 the Chairman, as well as some unethical acts in respect of allegations of plagiarism against him by the NCC Director-General.
While maintaining that no allegations of misconduct against Asien is before the 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 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.
The Board members said 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.
Their letter states; “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”.