Court Orders Airtel Nigeria To Pay N210m Over Unauthorised Use Of Veteran Singer’s Song
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered Airtel Nigeria to pay N210 million in damages to veteran Nigerian singer Veno Marioghae Mbanefo for the unauthorised use of her popular song, “Nigeria Go Survive.”
The court held that the telecommunications company infringed on Mbanefo’s copyright by using the song in its promotional and advertising materials without her consent.
Delivering judgment, the trial judge ruled that Airtel failed to obtain the necessary permission or licence before deploying the song for commercial purposes, describing the action as a clear violation of Nigeria’s intellectual property laws.
Mbanefo had approached the court after discovering that her song was being used to promote some of Airtel’s products and platforms, including televised content, without her approval. She told the court that repeated demands for the company to stop using the song and compensate her were ignored.
The judge subsequently awarded N210 million in damages in her favour, stressing that corporate organisations must respect the rights of creative professionals.
The ruling has been described as a significant victory for Nigerian artists and a strong warning to companies against the unauthorised use of copyrighted works.
As of the time of filing this report, Airtel Nigeria has not issued an official response to the court’s decision.
