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Tag: PMAN

  • PMAN to establish foundation in honour of Dan Maraya Jos

    SAKMICIT Solomon, the Plateau Governor, Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria, says the association will establish a foundation in memory of the late musician, Adamu Wayya, known as Dan Maraya Jos.

    Solomon told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Wednesday that the foundation would cater to orphans and widows.

    ” The late sage’s wife will be included as the mother of the Nigerian musicians and her children members,” she said.

    Solomon said the late musician identified with orphans because he was orphaned at a tender age, while he provided shelter for more than 13 orphans in his lifetime.

    She promised to open a national condolence database for those who loved Dan Maraya Jos who died at 69  last Saturday after a protracted illness.

    ” A national condolence database for lovers of Dan Maraya Jos will be opened for his fans to express their sorrow over his death,” she said.

    Solomon said the late musician’s life was a lesson for people still struggling to realise their dreams, that they could succeed through hard-work.

    ” He lost his father almost immediately after his birth, his mother when he was just an infant and even his guardian, yet he did not give up on his dreams and had to learn fend for himself at a young age,” she said.

    He was a recipient of several awards, including the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger, an honorary doctorate from University of Jos and the UN Peace Medal.

  • Heritage Bank, PMAN promote biometric card scheme

    Heritage Bank has announced its partnership support with the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) for the launch of a Biometrics Card Scheme for members of the music body.

    The PMAN Biometrics Card Scheme, a flagship multi-purpose identity card project which was initiated to re-validate the association’s eminent status in the nation’s entertainment industry, is conceived as a starting point of an all-inclusive scheme to ensure significant levels of protection for Nigerian musicians’ commercial rights.

    PMAN President, Pretty Okafor, explained that the scheme is a product of a comprehensive assessment of the nation’s entertainment business landscape which shows that Nigerian musicians and their colleagues in the entertainment sector have been earning far below the commercial value of their works due to a variety of factors such as poor infrastructure and weak institutional and policy environment.

    According to him, the scheme would make it possible for PMAN to develop a sound database of genuine practitioners in the nation’s music business sector, thereby strengthening the anti-piracy campaign.

    Additionally, the card would serve as a debit ATM Card and will also  avail members a CUG (Close User Group) platform to call their music business associates for a fixed monthly flat rate using the network service provider that is also partnering with PMAN in the scheme.

    Heritage Bank’s Group Head of e-bank, Tobe Nnadozie said the bank’s decision to be part of the PMAN Biometrics Card Scheme is informed by its unwavering commitment to wealth creation, preservation and transfer in the entertainment sector.

    “The entertainment sector has been identified as one of the biggest economic blocs in the country with potential to contribute hugely to the development of the national economy. Sadly, entertainment practitioners are being hampered from enjoying large chunks of what they deserve as income from their creative investments. As a bank that is wholly committed to the mantra of wealth creation and preservation, Heritage Bank is more than ready and willing to partner with PMAN in the task of sanitizing the environment so that entertainment practitioners can really flourish”.

     

  • Peace may return to PMAN soon

    Peace may return to PMAN soon

    •Caretaker Committee picks July date for election

    The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) Caretaker Committee headed by Kelvin Lucciano, has fixed election for July. At a meeting at its Opebi Ikeja Lagos secretariat, attended by Orits Wiliki, Tee Mac and Murphy Van-Anthony among others, an electoral committee was raised for the election.

    Lucciano said  the proferation of factions within PMAN was becoming counter-productive to the union, adding: “Today, we have decided to call on the press and the members to inaugurate the electoral committee that will now move and create an avenue for credible election which will come in July. We are happy today that most of the factions you have heard about are here. We have Murphy, Tee Mac, Hajia Dangaji and she will be here any time soon. So these are the factions that we recognise. We do not see the Pretty  Okafor camp as faction. We see Hajia,  Murphy, Teemac, Preddy Wise as a faction and we have all come together as one and decided to move on the same direction.

    Oris Wiliki, who cleared the air on the dissolution of  the Caretaker Committee as alleged by the Pretty Okafor faction owing to a court judgment he got dissolving the Committee, described the judgment as a distraction. “That is not enough to truncate the mandate that was given to the caretaker committee. This committee  has only one mandate that was given to us by the Trade Union Registrar, go and bring everybody together, conduct a free and fair election. Kevin is the substantive Chairman of this Committee until we say no,” he said.

    He said the seat of PMAN president is golden hence the protracted crisis spanning over 15 years. “The seat is golden and because of that we have had several people just waking up and declaring themselves as president. This is the craziest union as far as I am concerned to have about six to seven presidents at the same time. We know it’s not peculiar to us but ours is being such that it’s so nauseating. It’s such that is so annoying. You have a union that is as huge as PMAN yet we can’t get our bearing right. We have greed, ego and all sorts destroying this union. So for us here we have said that all that must stop. Those illegality that has kept us in one place for upward of over 10 years must stop because we are losing, losing very terribly”.

    Teemac recalled that three years ago when they had too many factions, they went to the Federal High Court and we got a preliminary ruling saying no election could take place on either side until the court rules. “When I joined the Peace Initiative Committee, we all agreed to drop all the court cases. I asked the PMAN lawyers to drop the case in the Appeal court against Dele Abiodun, and against Kunle Femi. We had a couple of cases. Then I asked one lawyer Duro to drop the case in the Federal High Court in Lagos. ..No court on this earth can elect a PMAN president. It’s not possible. A court, maybe, could look into the grievances. We the musicians elect the delegate conference for the election of the PMAN president”.

    Reacting to his appointment, Charles Imoluame thanked the association on behalf of the electoral committee.

    “This committee will be working relentlessly in the next few months to make sure that we have a credible president. We assure you that on our own part, we will do our best just as we have sworn to an oath that we will do our best to be neutral, to look at all the candidates that will come without bias. And we welcome both young, old, male, female musicians to come and contest freely because in this committee we have every faction represented.

    “So nobody is going to take anybody for granted in this kind of election that we are going to do. We promise the states also that we will do our best to consider their advices when it comes to telling us about those that qualify for the election because we rely more on the states to tell us those who are qualified to contest this election. If you are not a member of a state chapter, if you have not paid your dues or you are not current with your activities in your chapters we are not likely going to honour your candidature to be president of PMAN. We have seen so much in the past few years and we pray that we get out of the problems we have had. So I like to thank you again!

  • Abuja PMAN congratulates Buhari

    AS an association that has been enmeshed in several years of crisis at the national level, the Abuja chapter of the Performing Musicians/Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has congratulated President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on his resounding victory in the March 28 poll.

    According to the governor of the association, Mr. Collins Adeyemi, the victory of the main opposition party’s candidate is well deserved and. He therefore called on members of the association to support and ensure that he (Buhari) succeeds in his assignment.

    “We are happy that Nigeria is experiencing this for the first time. We are happy that this could happen at this time Nigeria needs peace. Though people have been commending the president-elect, we must also realise that this was made possible by the outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan.

    “But for his roles, the country would have been plunged into crisis. We thank God that the election has come and gone,” he said.

    In the same vein, Adeyemi’s deputy, Solomon Nda-Isaiah, said, “I have always believed that Buhari would win the election, and I pray he succeeds as president. He will enjoy our association’s full support. We know with the people’s general as our president, drastic change will come to all sectors of our economy.

    Nda-Isaiah however said, he would like the incoming regime to, as a matter of urgency, “reform the Nigerian entertainment industry in general, most especially in the federal capital territory, as it is the nation’s capital. That will help to boost not only entertainment but also tourism and will help in the growth of our economy.”

  • Court upholds Pretty Okafor’s position as PMAN head

    Court upholds Pretty Okafor’s position as PMAN head

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has issued contempt charges against members disobeying an earlier ruling, declaring Pretty Okafor as Interim President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN).

    In its recent judgement, the court ruled that henceforth, only the Interim Government headed by Pretty Okafor has the mandate to run PMAN’s affairs for the next 18 months after which a Delegates Conference will be convened for fresh elections.

    Major opposers of Okafor’s position had filed a counter motion seeking to set aside the ruling, but were absent in court on February 16, 2015, when the case came up for mentioning.

    For 34 years, PMAN has been embroiled in different crisis of leadership, which have rendered the association inactive.

    Top members of the Interim Government who visited the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja recently were received by Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, Special Adviser to the Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. Some of the discussions held at the meeting include the PMAN Biometric Identification Card scheme for all musicians and stakeholders to form part of the industry’s database in Nigeria; issue of the Media Distribution Network (MDN), aimed efficient and diligent technical management of the structures of the music industry and acquisition of a replicating plant and solid mastering equipment to ensure efficient control of the piracy menace.

    The team was said to have also paid a courtesy visit to the Registrar of Trade Unions at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to acquaint the Registrar, Mrs N. Mborgu with its activities.

  • ‘Why they’re fighting us,’ by PMAN interim boss

    ‘Why they’re fighting us,’ by PMAN interim boss

    Sequel to the statement denouncing Pretty Okafor as interim president of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), despite a court ruling, Okafor said his critics are merely afraid he would make them accountable.

    The association’s Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Kevin Lucciano, had filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos, challenging Okafor’s appointment as PMAN president. In suit no FHC/L/CS/919/2012, the committee is calling on the court to set aside its earlier judgment, for want of jurisdiction.

    According to Lucciano, the appointment of Okafor did not follow due process and so should be ignored by all.

    “I want to use this opportunity to remind Nigerians and all PMAN stakeholders of the fact that it is only the Caretaker Committee that has been empowered by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to conduct elections and run the affairs of PMAN… besides, this matter is not within the jurisdiction of the court as it is a trade union issue and only the National Industrial Court has jurisdiction at this stage,” he said.

    Okafor, a member of the Junior and Pretty fame, however, expressed shock at the latest development.

    “I don’t want to join issues with them on going contrary to the court’s judgment,” he said. “I personally met with them and it was unanimously agreed that the new order should subside. So I must confess that I’m surprised that some of them went back to the trenches to reopen the wound that has retrogressed the association for the past 34 years.’’

    Okafor said he accepted to pilot the new ship of PMAN out of his passion to champion a formidable music industry, but added: ‘’I’ve sat down and thoroughly thought of why they detoured on our earlier agreement and could only deduce a few reasons, which include the money and property of the association in their possession which they were requested to account for or return.’’

    According to him, while ex-President, Tee Mac Itsueli, is in possession of the Certificate of Occupancy of their landed property in Abuja, Murphy still keeps their automobile while Peace Committee boss, Kevin Luciano is alleged to be in possession of an undisclosed amount of money.

    “Members of the association rightly demanded that they should return everything to the association but from the way they are behaving, it’s like they don’t want to comply. Hence,the new offensive they are launching against a constituted authority with the backing of the judiciary,’’ he said.

    He, however, said that part of his new executive’s plans to move the union forward is the implementation of a biometric identity card scheme that will see each member truly belong, and in the event of any handicap or death, be entitled to the sum of N10 million.

  • PMAN launches anti-piracy initiative

    THE Caretaker Committee of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has said that its primary objective is to fight piracy.

    The PMAN executive, headed by Pretty Okafor of the Junior and Pretty fame, made this position known during an agenda-setting world press conference which took place, Tuesday, at The Place, Ikeja.

    Calling on members to join in the push for the union’s revival, Okafor noted that, as professionals, the body is concerned about the fate of colleagues.

    According to him, the neutralization of Nigeria’s pervasive piracy menace that robs Nigerian musicians of their income is one of the association’s concerns.

    “That is why our first major assignment now is to host our traditional PMAN Patrons Dinner to showcase our new patrons which cut across party lines. Because of the fierce urgency of the moment, we hereby throw open the hosting right to all 36 States of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory. Whichever meets our conditions shall have the right to host the event,” said Okafor.

    After the patrons’ dinner, Okafor said PMAN will announce the commencement of the programme for the hosting of the next Nigerian Music Award (NMA). In his words, the world acknowledges the speedy growth of Nigeria’s entertainment sector even though the global recognition of the entertainment sector is restricted to quantity.

    “Entertainment is a principal driver of development as countries like America, India and China have clearly proven. It has the potential of helping Nigeria to project national power across international borders to effectively influence political decisions, social culture and economic streams to the utmost benefit of our national sovereignty,” Okafor added.

    Other activities lined up by the body, according to Okafor, is to build a healthy relationship with music marketers, float the PMAN Health Insurance/Pension Retirement Plan, PMAN Biometric ID Card project, PMAN Music Distribution Network/Data Bank, PMAN Apps and Journals, PMAN African Music Festival/Awards, PMAN Music Hall of Fame as well as the PMAN HQ Building projects in Lagos and Abuja.

  • PMAN sends SOS to Jonathan, Tambuwal

    The Performing Musicians’ Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has sent an SOS to President Goodluck Jonathan and Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives, calling for the immediate liberalisation of collective administration in Nigeria.

    “The forced monopoly in the copyright administrative system in Nigeria is killing entertainment business even more than piracy. We have demanded for audience and written series of letters to the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), and the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) on the issue, but have received no response,” Lucciano lamented in a chat with The Nation.

    According to Gabriel, in August 2010, a group of entertainment practitioners, under the aegis of Concerned Copyright & Intellectual Property Owners (CCIPO), protested against the imposed monopoly and the Attorney General promised to reverse the situation within two weeks.

    “Four years on, the problem is still there and this is unacceptable,” Gabriel continued, recalling that in May 2013, PMAN, alongside other stakeholders, also participated in the Investigative Public Hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committees on Justice and Judiciary, which presented its report and recommendations to the plenary session of the House of Representative on December, 18, 2013. This was followed by the adoption of the report and its recommendations which culminated in the passing of far-reaching resolutions directing the NCC to immediately end the monopoly.

    Gabriel disclosed that one of the resolutions was that the NCC should approve MCSN as a collecting society immediately. He described the continued refusal to register MCSN as casting NCC as being compromised and pursuing the interests of a particular section of the industry among others.

    “More than nine months after, the NCC has done nothing to carry out the directives of the National Assembly and this is tragic! Now we are faced with a regulatory agency which is acting with absolute impunity in order to protect the vested interests of a cabal. What NCC is saying by their determination not to obey the National Assembly’s directive is that the National Assembly is a toothless bulldog!

    “NCC is equally rubbishing the Transformation Agenda of the President, which is aimed at enthroning the rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of citizens and opening up the entire economy for all Nigerians to participate.

    “It is on this basis that PMAN is calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to wade into this matter and call the officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to order and save the music industry. PMAN equally calls on the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, to bring the powers of the National Assembly to bear on NCC.

    ”If Monopoly is bad for all the other sectors including the political sector where we have more than 50 political parties jostling for power, definitely, it cannot be good for the music and the creative industries at large,” Gabriel concluded.

  • PMAN sends SOS to Jonathan, Tambuwal

    The Performing Musicians’ Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has sent an SOS to President Goodluck Jonathan and Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives, calling for the immediate liberalisation of collective administration in Nigeria.

    “The forced monopoly in the copyright administrative system in Nigeria is killing entertainment business even more than piracy. We have demanded for audience and written series of letters to the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), and the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) on the issue, but have received no response,” Lucciano lamented in a chat with The Nation.

    According to Gabriel, in August 2010, a group of entertainment practitioners, under the aegis of Concerned Copyright & Intellectual Property Owners (CCIPO), protested against the imposed monopoly and the Attorney General promised to reverse the situation within two weeks.

    “Four years on, the problem is still there and this is unacceptable,” Gabriel continued, recalling that in May 2013, PMAN, alongside other stakeholders, also participated in the Investigative Public Hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committees on Justice and Judiciary, which presented its report and recommendations to the plenary session of the House of Representative on December, 18, 2013. This was followed by the adoption of the report and its recommendations which culminated in the passing of far-reaching resolutions directing the NCC to immediately end the monopoly.

    Gabriel disclosed that one of the resolutions was that the NCC should approve MCSN as a collecting society immediately. He described the continued refusal to register MCSN as casting NCC as being compromised and pursuing the interests of a particular section of the industry among others.

    “More than nine months after, the NCC has done nothing to carry out the directives of the National Assembly and this is tragic! Now we are faced with a regulatory agency which is acting with absolute impunity in order to protect the vested interests of a cabal. What NCC is saying by their determination not to obey the National Assembly’s directive is that the National Assembly is a toothless bulldog!

    “NCC is equally rubbishing the Transformation Agenda of the President, which is aimed at enthroning the rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of citizens and opening up the entire economy for all Nigerians to participate.

    “It is on this basis that PMAN is calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to wade into this matter and call the officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to order and save the music industry. PMAN equally calls on the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, to bring the powers of the National Assembly to bear on NCC.

    ”If Monopoly is bad for all the other sectors including the political sector where we have more than 50 political parties jostling for power, definitely, it cannot be good for the music and the creative industries at large,” Gabriel concluded.

  • PMAN sends SOS to Jonathan, Tambuwal

    PMAN sends SOS to Jonathan, Tambuwal

    The Performing Musicians’ Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has sent an SOS to President Goodluck Jonathan and Honourable, Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives, calling for the immediate liberalisation of collective administration in Nigeria.

    “The forced monopoly in the copyright administrative system in Nigeria is killing entertainment business even more than piracy. We have demanded for audience and written series of letters to the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), and the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) on the issue, but have received no response,” Lucciano lamented in a chat with The Nation.

    According to Gabriel, in August 2010, a group of entertainment practitioners, under the aegis of Concerned Copyright & Intellectual Property Owners (CCIPO), protested against the imposed monopoly and the Attorney General promised to reverse the situation within two weeks.

    “Four years on, the problem is still there and this is unacceptable,” Gabriel continued, recalling that in May 2013, PMAN, alongside other stakeholders, also participated in the Investigative Public Hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committees on Justice and Judiciary, which presented its report and recommendations to the plenary session of the House of Representative on December, 18, 2013. This was followed by the adoption of the report and its recommendations which culminated in the passing of far-reaching resolutions directing the NCC to immediately end the monopoly.

    Gabriel disclosed that one of the resolutions was that the NCC should approve MCSN as a collecting society immediately. He described the continued refusal to register MCSN as casting NCC as being compromised and pursuing the interests of a particular section of the industry among others.

    “More than nine months after, the NCC has done nothing to carry out the directives of the National Assembly and this is tragic! Now we are faced with a regulatory agency which is acting with absolute impunity in order to protect the vested interests of a cabal. What NCC is saying by their determination not to obey the National Assembly’s directive is that the National Assembly is a toothless bulldog!

    “NCC is equally rubbishing the Transformation Agenda of the President, which is aimed at enthroning the rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of citizens and opening up the entire economy for all Nigerians to participate.

    “It is on this basis that PMAN is calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to wade into this matter and call the officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to order and save the music industry. PMAN equally calls on the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, to bring the powers of the National Assembly to bear on NCC.

    ”If Monopoly is bad for all the other sectors including the political sector where we have more than 50 political parties jostling for power, definitely, it cannot be good for the music and the creative industries at large,” Gabriel concluded.