Following months of crisis, intrigues and tension that bedeviled the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), leading to the purported suspension of its national president, Mr. Pretty Okafor, peace has returned to the body, with members finally heaving a sigh of relief.
This comes on the heels of the final Police Investigation Report, which cleared and exonerated the leadership of PMAN, including Pretty Okafor, of all criminal allegations leveled against them.
Speaking to journalists recently at the PMAN secretariat in Lekki, Lagos, Okafor affirmed, “there was never any financial misconduct. There was never any forgery. There was no breach of the PMAN constitution on my part. Now, the truth has finally prevailed!”
Buttressing his point and narrating the genesis of the crisis, the PMAN president said: “Without just cause, and while I was overseas in Spain on official PMAN duty, certain members of the then National Working Committee (NWC), in flagrant violation of the PMAN constitution, initiated a campaign of calumny against me. They issued me a query and purportedly suspended me without following due process. They ignored Article 13(C)(i)–(iv), which clearly outlines that only the National
Executive Council (NEC), through a duly appointed National Disciplinary Committee, can take such action after a fair hearing.
“This constitutional safeguard was thrown to the wind. Instead, they proceeded on their unlawful path – issuing an indefinite suspension that violates Article 18(B) of our constitution and publicly pronouncing me guilty of unfounded criminal accusations.”
But the National Executive Council (NEC) swiftly came to Okafor’s rescue by restoring order, and sanctioning the individuals involved.
According to the PMAN president, Boniface Itodo and Faga Bem-Paul (General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary respectively) were shown the way out after being paid three months salary in lieu (of notice).
He added that Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, and Michael Stephen (Ruggedman) have vacated their positions having collaborated with the Lobby D PMAN, and the vacancies will be filled in acting capacity in pursuant to Article 11(M).
In the heat of the crisis, aside from the PMAN’s bank account, Pretty Okafor also had his personal bank accounts frozen.
Acting in concert with a court clerk in Upper Sharia Court III, Minna, Niger State, a police officer ordered a Post No Debit (PND) on Okafor’s accounts, pushing him and his family into untold hardship. But while the clerk stands dismissed from service and facing prosecution, his police co-conspirator is currently under investigation by the higher authority in Abuja.
“This speaks volumes about how far these connivers were willing to go in their desperate quest to destroy me and hijack PMAN,” the president said.
As if the troubles were not enough for Okafor, a consent judgment in Suit No. NICN/LA/360/2024 was procured when some individuals including George Dureke and Fruitful Mekwunye allegedly sued themselves, using the address of Lobby D, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, and claiming to have resolved the dispute amongst each other.
However, going by the police report, the court judgment couldn’t stand since PMAN was not served at its publicly known registered address in Lekki, Lagos.
“For this reason, that judgment is a legal nullity. It binds no one. It is built on deceit, impersonation and forum shopping. The real PMAN leadership – myself included – was never a party to that suit,” Okafor noted.
In corroboration of that fact, a letter with reference No. FMLE/RTU/97/VI/71 dated May 5, 2025, and emanating from the Registrar of Trade Union on behalf of the Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, confirmed Pretty Okafor as the authentic president of PMAN.
The PMAN boss further narrated, backed by the police report, how some people broke into the union’s office twice on March 1 and 3, 2025, carting away some items including cash, laptops and batteries.
Okafor, however, posited that the desire of some members to seize control of the PMAN’s assets and deplete its resources was the real motive behind the protracted crisis. But as a way of protecting the body against future conspiracies and financial heists, the National Executive Council (NEC) has resolved to establish an Asset Management Company to safeguard its properties.
Alluding that the Abuja Monaco Project had triggered the recent PMAN crisis, Okafor lamented how the developer not only denied entering into any contract with the union, but also disclaimed the agreement.
“However, a forensic investigation by the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed that the contract was indeed signed by the developer. This finding is backed by incontrovertible facts and is documented in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Police Investigation Report,” he asserted.
Despite the crisis, Pretty Okafor remains strong and unshaken in the belief that the Police has cleared and exonerated him of all criminal allegations including visa fraud, misuse of PMAN’s name, and financial misappropriation.
“The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Nigeria Police Investigation Report clears me and confirms that every action taken by the National Executive Council (NEC) under my leadership was constitutional, just and lawful. So, we are standing strong. We will rebuild. And we will pursue all legal avenues, civil and criminal to bring every impostor, saboteur and sponsor of this evil agenda to justice,” he concluded.
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