The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has been without a generally acceptable leadership for up to a decade now. SAMUEL ABULUDE writes on the beleaguered music union and hopes for its survival.
The umbrella body of musicians in Nigeria, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has experienced prolonged crises, despite several efforts to reposition the union to attain its full potentials.
Presently as indicated on PMAN website, www.pmanonline.net, the union has an interim national executive cum caretaker committee, following the judgement delivered by Hon Justice O.E. Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, on October 31, 2014. The leadership was supposed to prepare for a new election which would usher in the authentic president, emerging from an election ratified by the stakeholders and electoral committee. The committee has singer, Pretty Okafor of the defunct Pretty & Junior fame as president, high life singer, Sunny Neji as 1st vice president, Baba Dee of Naija Ninja group as 2nd vice president and Hariz Ibezim Oke’ilo as treasurer, as well as the African Queen crooner, 2Face Idibia as ambassador general and four others. These mandate of the committee, according to the constitution of PMAN, is to pilot the affairs of the union and conduct an election within 18 months from the date of the judgement. This translates that the committee ought to have hit the ground running, reconciled all aggrieved parties and made sure there are no other law suits hindering their operations and come March 2016. The committee ought to by now, have completed all arrangements and set the state for an all inclusive election ratified by law.
However, going by what is playing out, aggrieved members are not ready to sheathe their swords and allow the committee to operate. Question Mark record label owner, Kevin Luciano, has laid claims to the chairmanship of the interim committee. Despite the intervention of elders of the PMAN, who are veterans in the industry, to calm down all aggrieved parties; that is the Pretty Okafor-led and Kevin Luciano factions, no meaningful progress has been achieved, if one is to go by what is happening.
Last month, June 2015, a meeting to reconcile the aggrieved factions was convened but it ended in a deadlock. The reconciliatory meeting held at the conference room of the minister of labour and productivity, Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, precisely on Thursday, June 25, 2015, saw Pretty Okafor, the president of PMAN storming out of the meeting, where he had earlier said he and his committee members stand by the judgement establishing the interim executive caretaker committee, accordingly.
The said reconciliatory meeting was convened at the instance of the registrar of trade unions, Mrs N. Mbougu and had in attendance Pretty Okafor, Sunny Neji, Zaaky Azaay, Felix Duke, Kenny George and Brown Bread. Others where Kelvin Luciano, Orits Williki, Chris Mba, Tee Mac Itseli, Hajiya Amina Dangajia and others.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, who chaired the opening session, had maintained in his opening remarks that the rule of law is paramount. Also in attendance were the director of industrial relations Mrs Ilo and other officials of the ministry.
After deliberations and debates, Okafor pointed out that while he is not averse to reconciliation, true reconciliation would only be possible if all musicians in Nigeria, including those present, embrace the current biometric identity card scheme for PMAN members. He further affirmed that since there is a judgement in place, nobody is above the law, and declared that the judgement stands until vacated.
Okafor further advised all to eschew bitterness in the overall interest of PMAN members, the music industry and the country, as it stands to benefit from the numerous projects and business partnerships put in place by his leadership.
The lingering crisis has made the scenario in PMAN similar to that of a rocking chair, movement but no motion. Some cases challenging the action of one supposed factional leader against the other are presumed to be in court.
The question now is since musicians as members of PMAN must choose their leaders, which of the committees should they work with?
The Okafor group had filed a case restraining the peace intiative committee from acting as a group bringing the factions together and asking all to come down the high horse rode by the factional PMAN presidents. What observers have however asked is that if the Pretty Okafor group is backed by the law, why can’t the Peace Initiative Group that has such names as Luciano, Williki, Sony Neme, M.A. Sodik, Itseli, King Feladay, Ital. Bony Kabiru Samson Nwachuwu, Omas Lance Perry, Ade Samson and Murphy Van Anthony, among others, just act as an advisory group, since the law does not recognise them?
Industry watchers opine that the Okafor-led team should be given a chance to pilot the unsteady ship of PMAN for the much needed cohesion and development of the industry.
It is however pertinent to note that the Peace Initiative Group was in existence even before the Okafor-led committee was consttuted.
PMAN’s crisis is symptomatic of the Nigerian trade union system where personal interest more often than not, overrides national/group interest. Like Tee Mac said in an earlier interview, PMAN’s loss is Nigeria’s loss. The body has lost billions of naira as a result of division and lack of unity. The solution is all within reach of the aggrieved members and stakeholders in the music industry. All the bickering, tussles and long instituted court cases have not done artistes and their reputation any good.
Analysts say the ministry of labour and productivity must exercise its oversight functions and make sure the PMAN house gets a leader come March 2016, in accordance to its constitution.
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