Stakeholders in the music industry have urged President Bola Tinubu to halt the proposed partnership between the Nigerian  and the American Grammy Awards, which aims to establish an African version of the Grammy Awards.

The stakeholders expressed fears that the proposed partnership could jeopardize the hard-earned progress and unique cultural identity of African music.

Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa. is reported to be on the verge of finalising a deal with the American Grammy Awards to use its platform for the proposed African Grammy Awards, with Nigeria slated to host the inaugural edition.

However, many industry insiders, including Segun Ogunjimi, CEO of Trending Musik, are cautioning against this move, citing the potential risks it poses to the African music industry’s autonomy and growth trajectory.

Ogunjimi highlighted the remarkable strides made by Nigeria’s music industry players, which has achieved global recognition and acceptance without significant government support and foreign back-up, expressed apprehension that the proposed partnership with the Grammy Awards could undermine the industry’s progress over the past two decades.

Moreover, stakeholders are concerned that the proposed African Grammy Awards could overshadow existing continental music awards and platforms. Ogunjimi stressed the need to maintain and promote African music on its own terms, rather than adopting foreign models that may not align with the continent’s cultural heritage and artistic direction.

“This is a clear case of misplaced priorities. It’s shocking how the minister could endorse the adoption of an award by an entity that doesn’t understand our culture and heritage. It reeks of neo-colonialism, and many of us in the industry see it as a perpetuation of a culture of waste that could harm our economy.”