PMAN president must be jailed –Tee Mac, Zimakoy

President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Mr. Pretty Okafor, has been described as ‘a fraud who cannot escape jail’.

Speaking exclusively with Saturday Beats in separate chats earlier in the week, former president of the association, Dr. Tee Mac Iseli and Dr. Zimakoy Ibezim, a top member of the union, accused Okafor of “gross financial misappropriation and ‘selling lies’ to the world.”

The latest outburst comes one week after Okafor had levelled a similar allegation against Zimakoy who he claimed had been using his position as treasurer of PMAN to siphon the organisation’s funds.

In his reaction, Zimakoy said Okafor was operating on borrowed time and that by the time the police concludes investigation into the matter, he would be in serious problem.

“Okafor has been very economical with the truth. If I knew he was this kind of person from the beginning I would never have had anything to do with him.

“For Pretty Okafor to tell the world that he turned the case against me and that I was crying, an old man like me, he is a bloody liar. I was the one who fought to bring him into the union. He knows nothing about PMAN but I never knew he was a fraudulent person. He must be prosecuted for looting funds belonging to the association. I have been a crusader for exemplary leadership in PMAN and I shall continue to do so,” Zimakoy said.

On his part, Tee Mac revealed that the corruption under Okafor had been reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and that once the case is trashed by the court, the PMAN president would surely spend time in jail.

“We have taken the matter to the EFCC because Pretty Okafor is a fraud. He parades himself as PMAN president when he has nobody behind him except Sunny Neji. There is no state chapter, the hierarchy hates him. We took him to the industrial court but he manipulated the case. The matter is also in the federal high court.

“Zimakoy is straightforward in this case and we have a lot of evidence to prove that Okafor opened a separate bank account for the union without the original certificate of PMAN which is with me. He has collected about N100m. Zimakoy was the treasurer but he froze him out and embezzled everything with his wife. He cannot give account for anything.

“Mark my words, Pretty Okafor would go to jail for a minimum of 10 years for these crimes. He is a professional thief and liar who have continued to sell his lies to the world. We have declared a revolution in the music industry and we would ensure things are done properly in PMAN,” he said.

Mr. Okafor while speaking with Saturday Beats earlier had said, “Some disgruntled members of the union that were suspended because of fraud and corruption, felt they could use the police against us. When they (police) asked for evidences of the account, I gave them everything and nothing incriminating was found. We made up our minds to be transparent and accountable.”