Hottestgistnaija.com
Finally the much anticipated PMAN biometric unveiling as Pretty Okafor led executives clocked their first 100 days in office. and it was a full house as both corporate and private enterprises were fully represented. And for the first time in the history of the union, the President gave account of his stewardship for his first 100 days in office. The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the PMAN biometric Data card which is first of its kind in the history of the Union.
This highly laudable innovation; The PMAN Biometric I.D cards for all Nigerian artistes, a multipurpose ID cards would give multiple benefits, health, in case of and accident and critical illness, accidental disability, pension plan for the aged from 70 years and death.
It would also see all musicians communicate via CUG line where they only need to pay a token to be part of this. The ID card would have an ATM chip, which they can use withdraw their monies in the bank as collated through the PMAN Music Distribution Network, (MDN) initiative.
PMAN biometric card automatically connects them to the MDN where all musicians would collect their royalty through GS1 one who are the traceability, accountability, and transparency company for the musicians royalties.
Some of the sponsors of this initiative include MTN, Heritage bank, UBA, diamond bank, FCMB.
While their patners include Bank of industry, Microsoft Nigeria, Royal Exchange Insurance, Multishied, Total Health Trust, Tuntise ICT, DabHands, Lafrique, MDN, GS1.
Here is the speech delivered by Okafor to commemorate the occasion.
Nigeria: Music As Development Challenge
By Pretty Okafor
Distinguished Guests, Gentlemen of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the National Executive Council (N.E.C) and the entire members of PMAN, may I welcome you all to this event marking our first hundred days in office as
we unveil the new PMAN Membership Identification card scheme.
The Scheme is informed by the need to close the yawning gap between creativity and development in Nigeria : Music as a development Challenge
The most important resource of an economy is its human capital. What makes human capital of paramount importance to any development process is its creative power; in other words, its wealth of creativity. It is the fundamental responsibility of governments to invest in the development, protection and promotion of the creativity of their citizens, for such a commitment is critical to national transformation. Without adequate investment in indigenous creative talents, no nation stands the chance of escaping placement on the rear of the global development bandwagon.
Entertainment as a creative endeavor is a modern-day dynamo for driving national development and for projecting national power across borders. Entertainment catalyses commerce and delivers knowledge across all age-grades. It is a highly influential shaper of mindset in a world where power over multitudes, markets and economies is rooted in the ability to determine and control behavioral patterns.
The array of Nigerian musicians whose music flood the airwaves and electrify dance-halls in several cities across Africa and beyond are a very important fraction of Nigeria’s priceless human capital. These talented and hard-working Nigerians struggle, subsist and survive in a system that treats their creative talent more as some kind of flimsiness than as a vital part of the sustaining energy of its natural license to aspire and accomplish greatness. Nigerian musicians are victims of Nigeria’s poor investment in the construction and maintenance of an economic environment that provides generously for the discovery, development and promotion of indigenous talents as a matter of ideological resolve and moral indebtedness of leadership to advancing the legitimate interests of the Nigerian collective!
In the area of music, the situation is as bad as what we find in other aspects of our country’s entertainment sector. Said to be emerging, Nigeria’s music ‘industry’ now generates billions of naira on an annual basis that end-up predominantly in the coffers of foreign and Nigerian pirates. Other sums of similar size belonging to Nigerian musicians lie trapped in the vaults of several foreign (legitimate) establishments due to gross policy and institutional inadequacies on the side of our nation! There is certainly no pride in knowing that a country as big and as endowed as Nigeria has no standard or world-class record label! It is dis-heartening to see talented Nigeria musicians groveling before gangs of heinous and artistically clueless pirates, eating off their palms in absolute desperation and pathetic helplessness like congenital beggers! There is no international standard marketing system for music in Nigeria! No professional distribution network exits in the country! Years back, we had the likes of Polygram, EMI and Decca Records grooming Nigerian musical talents to spawn track after track of meaningful and captivating songs.
Nigerian musicians have waded through intense currents of hardship to reach the shores of popular recognition. We are part of an industry that was recently identified as a major contributor to Nigeria’s rise to being Africa’s largest economy! We view such as a welcome development and as a vivid evidence of how much artistically creative Nigerians can do for Nigeria in economic terms. This notwithstanding, we insist that our importance to Nigeria’s quest for economic prosperity does not begin and should not end in statistics! We need clear-cut government policies and vibrant public institutions driven by professionals who possess the knowledge-base and general creative acumen necessary for birthing productive and sustainable symbioses between the relevant public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy, all aimed at establishing a sound nation-wide environment for Nigerian musicians to create world-class music and to earn their sweat’s worth! The deficiencies within our fold as musicians are undeniable and recognizable as part of the Dark Age syndromes that have held our nation away from manifesting its great potentials given to it by Almighty God for the overall benefit of black civilization!
Sound and sustainable national development in an artistic vacuum is a myth! Art and artistes are indispensable to national transformation. Artistes connect deeply with the spirit and soul of society. We interpret the nuances of life and give rich meaning to the undulations of existence. It is our job to illuminate the path of righteousness for people to tread for successful arrival at full accomplishment of their respective purpose on earth. Art mirrors the inner substance of society and delivers messages that pedal conscience to act in favour of good over evil. It is the defeat of evil that frees society from the glooming precincts of backwardness. The development Nigeria seeks is partly and profoundly the prerogative of the arts. If music is the food of the soul, its under-development in Nigeria simply starves our society of some very vital nourishment needed by it to grow tall, big, black and strong. THE PMAN BIOMETRIC ID CARD SCHEME PRESENTATION……….Once again, please accept our sincere gratitude for your gracious presence here today.
