The author of the literature text, The Last Days at Forcados High School, Dr Ayobami Hanif Mohammed has denied ever entering into arbitration with the book’s Publisher, Cassava Republic Press.
In a statement made available to Daily Trust on Sunday in Lagos by his lawyer, Ajayi Fatoki, the author insisted that he is “not in any official arbitration process with Cassava Republic.”
It would be recalled that in the statement issued by Dr. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, a director with the publishing company, CRP had claimed that both parties are in arbitration and that there is a limit to the information that can be shared with the media.
However, Mohammed in his statement noted that “he was/is not in any official arbitration process with Cassava republic.”
“My previous counsel suggested the option of arbitration after a mediatory meeting that failed last year in May. However, no arbitration case was filed because arbitration involves the consent of two parties and I DID NOT give my consent.
“The case has been filed for litigation in the Federal High Court with appropriate suit no this month after all attempts at peaceful discussions in the past year failed irretrievably with them to abide by contractual terms due to their recalcitrance by insisting next payment on a reduced royalty rate, which we didn’t agree upon, and persistently refusing to pay on registered candidates according to terms of agreement.
“I also believe they made efforts to intimidate and engage my previous lawyers to my detriment hence the need to change them. They were also supposed to effect payments much earlier, according to my contract. Cassava Republic, should have made the sum of well over a billion from the sale of my book alone through JAMB but they have blatantly refused to pay my due royalties,” a part of the statement read.
The author further noted that since the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has apparently come out to say that it has paid for over 1.3 million copies it still has with it, the author is therefore entitled to payment for those by his publishers.
“As to their claim that we wrote the Copyright Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the true account was that they told me a copy of the agreement with JAMB had to be seen by the Copyright Commission. So naturally, a copy of my communication with the publisher on the issue was forwarded to the Copyright Commission this year.
“I never made any communication to the ICPC on the matter. Maybe it’s their conscience or maybe they have another case with the ICPC. Also, if their agreement was only for two years why did they supply that much copies and why should JAMB have over 1.3m copies which they are now desperate to sell? Why should they even pay for them in the first place?” the statement read.
