The Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has written to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, alleging a coordinated effort to influence Nigeria’s emerging copy levy disbursement framework and fast-track the recognition of the Record Label Proprietors’ Initiative (RELPI) as a collective management organisation.
In the petition obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the association accused unnamed public officials with alleged links to RELPI of orchestrating what it described as an “institutional ambush” within the Federal Ministry of Justice to steer policy outcomes in favour of record label interests, at the expense of performers and grassroots creators.
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The petition follows a recent ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos barring the Central Bank of Nigeria and 20 commercial banks from accessing, releasing or transferring copy levy funds paid to the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria in relation to sound recordings.
Disputed ministry meeting
The controversy centres on a stakeholder forum held on 19 February 2026 at the Federal Ministry of Justice, which PMAN said was convened initially to broaden consultations on the operational framework for disbursing copy levy funds.
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According to the petition, the meeting was later reclassified as an internal ministry session, with PMAN’s president and the Director-General of the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) reportedly informed not to attend.
However, the meeting allegedly proceeded with other participants and was subsequently repurposed to advance RELPI’s interests, including steps consistent with licensing or recognising RELPI as a CMO.
Collective Management Organisations are licensed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to administer copyright royalties on behalf of rights holders, and their licensing has historically been a contentious issue in Nigeria’s music industry.
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“This sudden reclassification and exclusion of key stakeholders suggests a deliberate attempt to tilt the process in favour of certain private interests,” PMAN said in the petition.
Conflict-of-interest
PMAN raised conflict-of-interest concerns involving senior public officials allegedly linked to RELPI.
The petition claims that Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and a co-founder of Storm 360, attended the meeting and is affiliated with RELPI.
It also alleges that Prince Baba Clement Agba, Special Assistant to the President on Creative Economy, has a familial link to RELPI through his spouse, Isioma Alexis Idigbe, who is identified as a director within the initiative.
PMAN argued that the participation of officials with alleged ties to RELPI in sensitive policy processes could create the impression that the government is taking sides in an ongoing dispute within the music industry.
“Any backchannel policy shifts while the matter is before a court risks further fracturing an already fragile collective management ecosystem,” the petition said.
Ongoing litigation
The association further noted that RELPI has already taken the copy levy dispute to court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/207/2026: Record Label Proprietors’ Initiative & 11 Ors. v. Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (Re: Central Bank of Nigeria).
PMAN warned that any policy decisions taken while the matter is pending in court could raise sub judice concerns and further destabilise Nigeria’s fragile rights administration ecosystem, which has been plagued by decades of disputes among rights holders, CMOs, and regulators.
Copy the levy background
Nigeria’s copy levy system is rooted in the Copyright Act 2022, which imposes levies on devices and media used for private copying, with proceeds intended to compensate creators, performers, and rights holders.
Nigeria’s copy levy system, recently activated under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, is designed to compensate creators and performers for private copying of their works on digital devices and storage media.
The levy is part of broader copyright reforms aimed at strengthening the creative economy and ensuring artists receive royalties in the digital age.
PMAN argued that the levy was intended as a public-interest intervention to benefit Nigerian musicians, performers, and creators, particularly grassroots stakeholders, and warned against what it described as an attempt by foreign-linked record label interests to dominate the fund’s governance and distribution.
Calls for review and recusal
In the petition, PMAN urged the Attorney-General to review the proceedings of the 19 February meeting, including the attendee list, minutes, and resolutions.
It also demanded that the Attorney-General suspend any steps toward licensing or recognising RELPI as a CMO pending a transparent and inclusive stakeholder process.
Also, the petition required officials with alleged links to RELPI to recuse themselves from decisions relating to levy disbursement architecture and CMO licensing, and convene an urgent, properly constituted stakeholder meeting involving the NCC, approved CMOs, PMAN, and other recognised industry bodies, with a published agenda and formal record-keeping.
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Industry stability concerns
PMAN, in its petition, said it supports the federal government’s efforts to operationalise the copy levy under the Renewed Hope agenda, but warned that insider influence and conflicts of interest could undermine the reform and plunge the industry back into prolonged disputes over rights administration.
“The copy levy is a critical intervention meant for Nigerian musicians and performers nationwide. Narrow interests must not quietly capture it,” the association said in the petition.
As of Press time, the Attorney-General’s office and the officials named in the petition had not publicly responded to the allegations.
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