By Ghazali Ibrahim
Renowned Nigerian folk musician, Beautiful Nubia, has called out a subsidiary of popular flour mill company, Golden Penny (PennySwallow) for the unauthorized use of his music in a video production, alleging clear violation of copyright laws.
In a public statement issued via his official X handle on Thursday, the singer condemned the agency’s failure to seek permission or license before using his work, describing the act as a breach of both local and international copyright regulations.
“Dear @gpennyswallow, the use of our music in this video is unauthorized, unlicensed and runs contrary to local and international copyright laws,” the message read.
According to the artiste, multiple efforts had been made to address the matter privately.
“We have sent emails and made calls to your office about this but have received no reply, and that’s why we are resorting to this,” he stated.
The post has since drawn reactions from fans, music industry players, and intellectual property rights advocates, many of whom supported the musician’s decision to go public after private communication allegedly failed.
Beautiful Nubia, whose real name is Dr. Segun Akinlolu, is one of Nigeria’s most respected independent music artists, known for his staunch stance on artistic integrity and copyright protection.
Over the years, he has used his platform to advocate for fair use policies and respect for creative ownership.
Golden Penny has responded by dodging the accusations claiming it wasn’t verified by their internal team responsible for advert.
“Dear @Beautiful_Nubia, thank you for bringing this to our attention. The video in question was created by an external influencer as part of a content partnership and the music was not selected or added by our internal team”, the post clarified.
This has sparked outrage among fans of Beautiful Nubia as many were calling for copyright infringement by the company over his unauthorized use of the song.
Legal analysts note that if proven, the unauthorized use could attract penalties under Nigeria’s Copyright Act and may expose the agency to possible litigation or compensatory claims.
