Through a reliable source, it has just come to our notice that the incredibly popular female gospel crooner, Evang. Tope Alabi, has finally apologized to the boss of NPC Records.Audioworks, Alhaji Tajudeen Bioku, for failing to keep to her part of the bargains that joined the two entertainment power houses together for years. In a peace move brokered by Tope Alabi’s lawyer, Barr. Ropo Awoyele, and sanctioned by Alhaji Bioku’s lawyer, Barr. Bolaji Mustapha, she not only apologized to the American based media mogul, but also paid to him an undisclosed amount of money, which our source said ran into millions of naira.
What happened, according to our source, was that in the year 2006, Tope Alabi entered into a recording agreement with Bioku’s label, NPC Records, to produce two versions (Yoruba & English) of a record album. The Yoruba version, ANGELI MI, which topped the Nigeria’s charts for years and has now become a classic, was finished and delivered to Tajudeen Bioku on behalf of his label almost immediately. However, the English version, which was tentatively titled “MY ANGEL” never saw the light of the day. Over the years, Alhaji Bioku had been coming to Nigeria from his base in the USA to demand for the other version of his album, but to no avail. Our source told us that the media guru dragged Tope Alabi, in succession, to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) over this matter.
On the backdrop of the lawsuit presently in the Lagos High Court that Bioku and his company filed against Pastor Biodun Ibitola and her Remdel Optimum Communication (ROC), Tope Alabi’s lawyer, it was reported, advised her to apologize and settle with Alhaji Bioku by paying him millions of naira. According to our witness: “We’re not privy to the exact amount, but we knew that Tope Alabi paid him (Bioku) penalty that was in the neighborhood of millions of naira!”
Meanwhile, and prior to this latest development, Tope Alabi’s husband, on behalf of the singer and her organization (Gospel Vibes Limited), had earlier entered into a 3-year marketing deal with Bioku and his NPC Records. In the deal, Tope Alabi’s Gospel Vibes was authorized to market nationwide, “ANGELI MI: Extra” (the newly repackaged album with three added new, never-before-heard tracks), for NPC Records.
This is good news and we certainly welcome more positive outcomes like these in the Nigerian entertainment industry in lieu of the usual fights and lawsuits.
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