LAGOS, Nigeria (XOL Africa) — A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a N5 billion copyright lawsuit against Nigerian gospel singer and songwriter Sinach, affirming that she is the sole author and copyright owner of her internationally acclaimed worship song, Way Maker.
In a judgment delivered by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa, the court ruled that music producer Michael Oluwole failed to establish claims that he was a co-author or co-owner of the song.
The court found that Oluwole’s involvement was limited to providing mixing and mastering services after Way Maker had already been written and composed. According to the judgment, those services were performed under a contractual agreement for which he was paid.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa held that technical contributors, including music producers and sound engineers, do not automatically acquire copyright ownership simply by participating in the production process. The court said copyright ownership requires evidence of an original creative contribution to the work unless otherwise provided by agreement.
The judge consequently dismissed all claims brought by Oluwole, confirming Sinach’s exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform and license Way Maker.
The ruling reinforces a key principle of Nigerian copyright law by distinguishing between technical production services and authorship of a creative work.
Released in 2015, Way Maker has become one of the most widely performed contemporary Christian worship songs globally. The song has been translated into multiple languages and recorded by numerous international artists, earning widespread recognition across churches and Christian music platforms.
