Legendary Nigerian actor, Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs has been presented with an Icon Award by the leadership of the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), the sole government licensed collective management organization for audio-visual content. Chairman of the AVRS, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, who presented the award at a brief presentation ceremony held at the Glover Memorial Hall innLagos last Thursdsy said the Octogenarian actor, who clocked 80 last month, deserved the award for his meritorious contribution to the development and growth of the audio-visual industry in Nigeria and for fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession.
“Uncle Olu Jacobs is a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has had a long history of active involvement both on stage and screen. Indeed his contributions to the growth of the audio-visual industry cannot be quantified. It is just appropriate for the AVRS which is the sole government licensed collective management organization for audio-visual content to honour this Icon of the profession who should rightly be a leading member of the AVRS because of his body of works,’’ Ali-Balogun said. While highlighting the inadequate remuneration challenges in the audio-visual sector as evident in the plight of some its notable players in the past and presently, the AVRS Chairman used the opportunity of the presentation to appeal to users of audio-visual content to meet their licensing obligations as AVRS is the only opportunity for a vast majority of audio-visual creative to be pensionable’’.
The highpoint of the ceremony was the presentation of a check of the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand naira and a membership certificate to the celebrated actor. Talented actress and wife of the Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva, was also presented with a membership certificate.
“With this presentation, both Uncle Olu and his amiable wife, Ajoke Jacobs, are now members of the AVRS and they qualify to receive royalties anytime it is shared to members. That is the chief reason AVRS is in existence. To collect royalties from right users for distribution to right owners’’ Ali-Balogun said.
Responding, a visibly elated Olu Jacobs thanked the AVRS leadership for the honour and the membership extended to him and his ‘lovely wife’. He said “the only thank you that is big enough to appreciate the AVRS for this honour done me is to say a louder thank you. Thank you AVRS’’.
On her part, Joke Sylva thanked the AVRS for the honour and the membership extended to her and her husband who she intermittently called ‘Sir J’.
Like Olu Jacobs, the actress promised to be a strong advocate for the AVRS.
“I know of the journey we have gone through and if AVRS had been standing, the journey wouldn’t have been this hard. We thank God that AVRS is here now and it is incredible the quality of people you have on the board. We are members now, so count on our support”, she said.
Representative of the Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, MDA Ojo, AVRS Board Members including the actress Monalisa Chinda, film marketer and distributor Otunba Aina Kushoro, actors Yemi Solade, Ejike Asiegbu and Elder Tunji Ojetola as well as the General Manager of AVRS, Olubukola Adeyemi, attended the ceremony.
