Alleged Fraud: PMAN suspends Pretty Okafor, appoints Sunny Nneji as acting president

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has taken a significant step by suspending its president, veteran singer Pretty Okafor, over multiple offences.

The late singers Christy Essien-Igbokwe and Sunny Okosun founded PMAN in 1984 to guide, protect and promote the interests of musicians in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Okafor became PMAN President in October 2016 and was re-elected in October 2023.

Mr Okafor was one half of the music duo Junior and Pretty, who dominated the Nigerian music scene in the 1990s with their unique rap style. Okechukwu Azike, A.K.A. Junior, died on 2 February 2005 due to injuries sustained in a power bike accident.

PWAN, in a statement posted on its official Instagram page on Friday, said Mr Okafor was suspended for actions deemed unconstitutional and alleged financial misconduct.

The statement signed by NWC partly reads: “Mr Okafor admitted to unconstitutionally involving non-members of the NWC in an international trip, which was intended exclusively for 32 members of PMAN, including the executive committee.

“He facilitated the issuance of counterfeit PMAN ID cards and false cover letters, misrepresenting these individuals as PMAN members and executives, thereby enabling their attendance at the ROTOTOM Reggae Sunsplash in Benicàssim, Spain.”

Accusation

The singer was also accused of financial misconduct, including allegations that he withdrew substantial money from the organisation’s account and redirected funds into his account.

“Without the required approval of the NWC, Mr Okafor withdrew N7,000,000 (Seven million naira) from the PMAN biometric registration account and transferred funds from PMAN’s bank account into his account on several occasions.

“A threshold must be reached before Zenith Bank prints the ID cards for registered members after the court ban is lifted on the PMAN bank account. However, Mr. Okafor’s unauthorised withdrawal of funds from the same account shortly after the court order was lifted further slowed the process.

“Additionally, he directed a PMAN property developer to deposit $40,000 (Forty thousand dollars) into his domiciliary account without proper authorisation from the NWC.”

Other accusations

The Lagos-born was further alleged to have violated constitutional duties by refusing to summon the NWC meeting.

“Mr. Okafor has consistently refused to convene NWC meetings over the past year despite numerous requests from members. Even after the Registrar of Trade Unions intervened to facilitate these meetings, Mr. Okafor failed to cooperate.

“By Article 12, Paragraph K of the PMAN Constitution, Mr. Okafor’s suspension will remain in force pending further disciplinary proceedings as outlined in the constitution.”

The NWC has also instructed Mr. Okafor to promptly hand over all PMAN properties, documents, and other assets currently in his possession. Additionally, he has been ordered to refrain from accessing PMAN’s property in Abuja and the PMAN Secretariat in Lagos until further notice.

Following Mr Okafor’s alleged misconduct and violation of the PMAN Constitution, Mr Sunny Neji (Previous Vice President) has been appointed Acting President to assume the role in line with the PMAN Constitution.

It is the second time in eight years that Mr Okafor has been accused of fraud. In February 2016, ex-PMAN president Tee Mac Iseli and Zimakoy Ibezim, a PMAN member, accused Mr Okafor of “gross financial misappropriation and ‘selling lies’ to the world.”

Weeks earlier, Mr Okafor alleged that Zimakoy had been using his position as treasurer of PMAN to siphon the organisation’s funds.

He was also accused of opening a separate bank account for the union without the original PMAN certificate.

Similarly, in 2018, Bolaji Rosiji, an ex-PMAN president, was accused of defrauding a financial institution of N22 million. He was charged with eight counts but was granted bail.

Pretty Okafor’s response

Amidst accusation, Mr Okafor has responded, seeking to clarify and address the claims against him.

In a video posted on the TVC News Youtube page on Friday, Mr Okafor said the accusations levied against him by PMAN were a matter of “greed and selfishness”.

He explained that all this started last year, and they tried to impeach him the last time he travelled because he “refused to share the money that was meant for the radio station equipment, the PMAN FM equipment”.

He said he purchased the radio equipment, which made them unhappy, and quite a few stopped coming to the office.

The pioneer of the Afro-hip-hop genre in the late 1980s further explained what transpired between them this year.

He said, “This year, the problem is I brought a developer to manage the PMAN property, but this developer hasn’t been able to do anything for two years. I got a fund I said he would provide from Brazil 40 billion Naira to help us finish the PMAN estate.

“But unfortunately, my ex-colleagues and the general secretaries are now doing deals behind me, trying to make the developer stay. The developer promised to give them one apartment each if they allowed him to hold ground and run the activities and the building. Meanwhile, the developer I signed was, I would say it’s my mistake; it was my fault, doesn’t have the capacity, doesn’t have the funds, and cannot build high-risers because what I design for the Abuja property is a high-riser.

“So because they found out that I already brought a developer that brought a sponsor that will bring 40 billion for the project, they were trying to route it so that the 40 billion will go to this developer on the ground that we already signed JVA with.”

He insisted that the developer can only manage and supervise because he can’t release the money from Brazil to the developer.

Furthermore, Mr Okafor has refused to comply with the NWC’s directive to step down as President of PMAN, insisting that only the National Executive Council (NEC), the highest decision-making body according to the PMAN constitution, can remove him from office.

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He said, “A bunch of brainless people that think running PMAN is how to steal everything they’ve said about suspension. How can they suspend me? They don’t have the ability and capacity. The NWC cannot suspend me. And you can’t even suspend me when I’m not around to defend myself. You need to wait. Why didn’t they wait till I come around?”

They don’t have the right. They would have reported the matter to the state chapter, the NEC, and the National Executive Council before taking any decision. And they tried to embarrass me just because I said we would not waste musicians’ money.

He also said that if he decides to quit being the president of PMAN, they will “sell the property because they’ve tried to steal the document of the property, the one we bought in Lagos from my office.”

Mr Okafor was formerly one-half of the music duo Junior and Pretty, who gained prominence in the Nigerian music scene during the 1990s with their distinctive rap style.