The multimillion naira deal the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) inked with telecoms giant, Airtel, penultimate week has continued to excite musicians and lovers of their craft.
Although PMAN and Airtel are still keeping details of the agreement under wraps, those in the know have said that the Pretty Okafor-led executive has done the association, which had been in doldrums, a good turn.
An excited Okafor himself went to social media with the good news that “the union just started, we are going places”.
He had barely finished writing that when a former president of the association, Charles Oputa a.k.a. Charly Boy, wrote that the move was not only very cool but also the way to go.
For Femi Aderibigbe a.k.a. Kwame of Naijezie, it is visionary leadership that is at play at PMAN. “(It) is never about noise making; it’s about quietly making things happen. Good job, Pretty; good job, PMAN; congratulations bro!” he wrote.
Paul I. K. Dairo said it was a good one.
“A step forward after many decades in the mud. Kudos to you guys,” said the musician popular as Paul Play.
Alex ‘Mr Kool’ Ibeh’s submission is in agreement with Paul Play and the others. “Well done Pretty Okafor and the new PMAN executive,” he stated.
Olusegun Banjo said it was a step in the right direction, and urged the PMAN leadership to keep it up.
But not everyone shared the optimism on social media, as Lukmon Akintola was hopeful that the new deal and the cash from it will not cause another war in the association.
Okafor was swift in responding that there should be no worries, as it is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that is managing it for the association.
“No person has monopoly over it,” he clarified.
It is good to know that the good days are returning to PMAN, but what is perhaps curious is that not many of the new generation musicians seem to have latched on it. Who knows, this deal may just be the icing on the cake they have been waiting for.
