A Lagos-based lawyer, Monday Ubani, has written to a Lagos businessman, Chief Abimbola Aboderin, demanding payment of 40 per cent proceeds from the launching of a book written on his behalf by his clients.
Ubani, who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest Law (SPIDEL), said his two clients: Mr Sidney Nwachukwu and Dr Uzor Ngoladi, wrote the book titled: “Democracy and the Untold Story of June 12”, on behalf of Chief Aboderin.
In the letter dated June 25, 2021, Ubani said his clients had an oral agreement with Aboderin to receive 40 per cent of proceeds from the book when it was launched.
He said his clients who own Strategia Blast International Limited in Abuja were made to visit Lagos severally to conduct interviews for the book to produce the design, the pictorials and manuscript into a proper book on behalf of Aboderin; which was eventually launched on June 12, without fulfilling his commitment.
Ubani further said, “It may interest you to know that the International Standard Book Number (ISBN 978-171687-538-0) as printed on page v and the back cover of the book is registered in the name of our client, Dr Uzor Ngonadi.”
But in his reaction, Chief Aboderin, through his lawyer, Lillian Obichendu, denied having any agreement to pay a certain percentage of the proceeds of the book to the two petitioners; maintaining that he wrote the book in 1994.
He said Ngonadi only provided a one-off editing service in respect of the book and was paid for the service.
He said, “Your client contradicted his working/professional ethics as an editor by putting an ISBN registered in his name in our client’s authored book for printing without authorisation from our client (the author) and also projected himself online as the author of the book before final editing and printing of the book.”
