O.G.Q & Co.’s Mission To Safeguard Artistic Innovation

When Okikioposu Qudus and Thaddeus Ayodeji decided to set up their law firm, O.G.Q And Co, earlier in 2023, the core focus of their vision was to join the building process of the legal infrastructure of Nigeria’s rapidly-growing creative industry. “It has been a situation whereby most people don’t pay attention to the legal side of it, and there’s a lot of people who have gone ahead to sign contracts in their vulnerable times, given the fact that they are not exposed,” Okikioposu explained over Zoom during a recent chat.

Over the last decade and a half, all aspects of the Nigerian creative industrial complex–including music, film, and art–have exploded in popularity thanks to the instantaneous connectivity enabled by the internet and the rising popularity of culture from Africa. Very often, Nigeria has led in this regard. However, while creativity has flourished in the country, little attention has been paid to the legal practices and agreements that power such creative output. The shortage of legal representation for young creatives necessitated the foundation of O.G.Q & Co. “We had to gather our resources and look into our targets, the people we are trying to put these services out to,” Thaddeus says. “We thought of that and we put that into perspective. We looked at the age bracket of the people that need these services.”

With their firm, O.G.Q & Co, the duo in tandem with talented associates and consultants are looking to help creatives access the best legal representation possible while providing a framework for future legal resolutions involving the creative industry. A key part of their early work has been focused on re-orienting the perspective of creatives who don’t understand the necessity of quality legal representation. “Creatives don’t understand to what extent a lawyer be involved in what they are doing,” Sekinat Raji, a senior associate at the firm, says. “It’s only when there’s trouble or something happens. You need to inform your lawyer of everything you are doing.”

A key part of the young firm’s approach is being in tune with the ebb and flow of a younger generation that’s emerging on a global scene without all the necessary legal tools. “One of the reasons that we started this law firm is that we are young and a lot of young people are into this industry, so we see that as an opportunity for us to relate with people of the same era,” Sekinat adds. “So, we feel like we are in the position to understand those people better.”
Working with a variety of talent ranging from music and film has thrown O.G.Q & Co straight into the effort to protect Nigeria’s blossoming creative industry and exposed them to a number of unique cases. A case of a producer choosing to spite a client by releasing a song with them without consent was a litmus test for the firm’s resolve but it was swiftly resolved with a takedown across DSPs. “The DSPs acted promptly, and I was really happy about the reception we got to the letters we sent as regards that, and they brought down the songs,” Thaddeus says. “I think they blocked the producer’s account because he’s endangering the work of our client. So, I really loved it because it gave me faith, and it shows that the system works if you put things in place, you know your rights, and you know how to organize and coordinate yourself with the use of your legal personnel.”

Without losing sight of the present, O.G.Q & Co is already laying out a map for its future and involvement with the Nigerian creative industry. Ibinabo Ginah, a consultant with the firm, is looking forward to when they start hosting workshops for creatives to educate them on their rights. “ I want to talk about good structure,” Ibinabo says. “I don’t just mean that you have your team, your management, and that’s it. I mean good structure when it comes to all your documentation because if you are creative and aside from your singing and your rapping, your fashion sense is amazing but you are not capitalizing on that, in that instance, that person would need a legal counsel that’ll help them capitalize on both the artistry and the fashion.”

Another important point raised by another associate, Halimat Bello, is canvassing support for the rights of workers in the creative industry beyond performers and frontline acts. “It’s not just about the creatives, it’s about those that work behind the scenes, behind the curtains, and their benefits,” she says. “We need to consider our labour laws to be able to prevent a situation like the BAFTA strike that’s been going on for like six months now. So, I feel O.G.Q & Co in this situation, would be able to advise our clients regarding how to interact with their workers and employees.”

As it is, it’s still day one at O.G.Q & Co but Okikioposu is already delighted about the progress being made. “I’m happy that creatives are on the verge of understanding and knowing that having a legal representative like an entertainment lawyer that understands the entertainment business and the legal side of it,” he says. “The importance of having an entertainment lawyer is very key. It’s not everybody, but people are gradually seeing that it’s important.”