With a fresh crisis brewing in the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), it is apparent that peace is far from returning to the association soon.
The caretaker committee, set up on July 7 last year has challenged the declaration of Pretty Okafor as the new president by a group within the association.
Chairman of the committee, Kevin Lucciano Gabriel, has called on musicians across the country to ignore recent statements by the group. He revealed that the caretaker committee has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos, challenging Pretty’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 of October 31 for lack of jurisdiction. The case will be up for hearing on February 25.
In a statement signed by Lucciano, he stated that the appointment of Pretty Okafor did not follow due process, and should be ignored by all well-meaning Nigerians. He also called on Pretty and his cohorts to stop parading themselves as PMAN representatives.
“It is not business as usual. Pretty and his cohorts are hereby advised to stop parading themselves as PMAN officials or else, the law will take its course; Nigerian musicians are fed up with these musicians.
“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, and that contrary to earlier reports, no state PMAN executive have been dissolved. I am calling on all PMAN state executives to ignore the call.”
He said the matter is a trade union issue, adding that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, through the Registrar of Trade Unions, endorsed the caretaker committee in a letter dated July 7 2014.
