THE NEW FACE OF PMAN

PREDDY WISE

The developments in Nigeria’s premier house of music, the PERFORMING MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (PMAN) seems to have finally taken a positive form. This comes in the shape of the brand new executives earlier elected for the association and their resolve to take the body forward. Headed by Mr. Wisdom Okoduwa (Preddy Wise) and assisted by Ms. Yinka Davies and Mr. Soki Ohale, they have declared their readiness move forward from the various controversies and disputes that have trailed PMAN for a long time now.

Two PMAN elections have held this year. The first which held in Osogbo had Admiral Dele Abiodun as the winner and brought him back to office for the second time. It was later declared illegal and another one was organized in Asaba. Here, Preddy Wise emerged the winner alongside petite songbird, Yinka Davies and the veteran from Owerri, Soki Ohale. They were then sworn in by the Legal Adviser of PMAN, Barrister Fred Agbaje but have not been able to assume their duties because Dele Abiodun has continued to parade himself as the PMAN president.

Mr. Abiodun has resigned amidst further controversies which has even landed him in prison. One of the former Vice Presidents of the association, Mr. Emma Ogosi, have also gone on to assume the office of the PMAN president, claiming that Abiodun handed over to him. But Abiodun’s second tenure was illegal and there was no way he could have continued the illegality by handing over to another individual. Thus on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, the Legal Adviser of the PMAN, Barrister Agbaje, swore in the new leaders of the body at him chambers.

The new PMAN president, Wisdom “Preddy Wise” Okowa, is a relatively new face on the scene. He is of the younger generation and had not been involved in the past governments of the body. He is a music producer and was based in the USA up until the year 2000 when he relocated to the country to float a music label known as P. WISE MUSIC. He had artistes like Alladin and Pastor Goody Goody on board then. He also had a couple of his own albums which were released in 1998 and 2001 including the hit, “Saturday Night Grooving.”

In the midst of all the earlier wrangling and shenanigans, the contemporary body of popular Nigerian artistes had gotten disillusioned. After trying in vain to wrest power from the past administration during the Osogbo elections, they have gone on to form their own parallel association which they believe would protect their interests more than PMAN in its former shape had ever done and managing this situation would be among the major challenges of this new PMAN administration together with the Emma Ogosi-led faction.

The president had these words for them: “PMAN is for everybody not just for the old. Having all these subordinate associations would make my job easier. Everyone is free to form an association just like the Juju and Gospel musicians, among many others did, but they are all under PMAN. PMAN was set up for a purpose and once that purpose is met, they will all come back. PMAN is the home of all; it is a union that leads the fight and once it leads by example and fulfills all its obligations, everyone would be happy to return.”

PREDDY WITH HIS EXCOS