The President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Pretty Okafor, has stated that Ilerioluwa Aloba, known as Mohbad, was not a member of the association.
As a result, the process of managing royalties for his music would pose a challenge for the association.
Okafor disclosed this on Wednesday when he appeared before a House of Representatives Committee on Justice investigating the death of Mohbad in controversial circumstances.
The PUNCH had reported that the 27-year-old singer died on September 12, 2023, and since then, videos of alleged harassment and intimidation by his former record label, had gone viral.
Addressing members of the committee, Okafor lamented the failure of new singers to join PMAN, adding that the benefits of membership are huge, including resolving contractual issues between musicians and record labels.
He said, “We engage the Music Managers Association of Nigeria. We engage the record label association of Nigeria, and we also engage the artistes. That is why it is difficult to manage the crisis that has erupted now.
“Some of them believe that PMAN is archaic. Some of them believe that it is only for old people. Some of them, the record labels manipulate their psyche not to make them stay under the authority of PMAN. That is why this kind of crisis has emerged.
“So, if we reach out to the record label association, they will need to reach out to their artistes. They must be member of PMAN so that we can protect their interests and also protect the interest of the record label owners because they are supposed to get certification from PMAN.”
He continued, “The structure has been that the record label association and record label owners must be registered members of the union so that they can be monitored and guided.
“We have a lot of people under PMAN including Tuface, MI, Banky W, and so on. They all belong to the association. But the younger ones or maybe their managers and record labels are not passing positive messages to them. That is why it was difficult for them to join the union.
“So when this crisis started, I personally wanted to interfere, but I could not. That is the main reason for being a PMAN member.”
On his part, the lawyer for the late Mohbad, Selzing Zingfa, said the late singer had issues with his former record label, Marlian Records, which are yet to be resolved.
He said, “Mohbad and the Marlian Records had some arrangements which I cannot term as a record label agreement and this is subject to litigation currently. While he worked with them in some sense, he released an Extended Play and a number of singles. Now those songs are subjects of litigation which he was in court for prior to his demise.
“Subsequently, sometime in October last year, he set up his own label, Imolenization Limited, and he released an EP and he received the revenue directly to himself because he was the sole owner of the company. So on the EP which is called blessed, it is fully secured
“What we have been trying to retrieve prior to his demise and currently are the EP and singles. Those are still being controlled by the Marlian Records and distributed through their distributors. That is what we have been in court trying to resolve until now, up until his demise and we are still in court for that.”
Chairman of the Committee, Olumide Osoba, reiterated the resolve of the Committee to ensure that issues about Mohbad’s royalties are resolved.
