PMAN copyright levy petition urges AGF to halt RELPI recognition and review disputed stakeholder meeting on fund disbursement

The Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria has petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice over concerns surrounding Nigeria’s copyright levy disbursement framework and the possible fast-track recognition of the Record Label Proprietors’ Initiative as a collective management organisation.

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In the petition, PMAN alleged that unnamed officials linked to RELPI orchestrated what it described as an “institutional ambush” within the Federal Ministry of Justice, favouring record label interests over performers and grassroots creators.

The dispute follows a ruling by the Federal High Court barring the Central Bank of Nigeria and 20 commercial banks from accessing copyright levy funds currently held by the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria.

According to PMAN, a stakeholder meeting held on 19 February to discuss levy fund distribution was reclassified as an internal ministry session.

The association said its leadership and the Director-General of MCSN were instructed not to attend, after which the meeting allegedly proceeded without them and was repurposed to advance RELPI’s interests.

The PMAN Copyright Levy Petition also raised conflict-of-interest concerns, citing Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, and Clement Agba, Special Assistant to the President on Creative Economy, as having ties to RELPI.

PMAN warned that such involvement could create the perception that the government is taking sides while the matter remains before the courts.

The association urged the Attorney-General to suspend any move to license or recognise RELPI as a collective management organisation, review the 19 February meeting, and convene a transparent stakeholder session involving the Nigerian Copyright Commission, approved CMOs, PMAN, and other recognised bodies.

“The copy levy is a critical intervention meant for Nigerian musicians and performers nationwide. Narrow interests must not quietly capture it,” the petition stated.