Premier Records Limited
Lagos heritage record label and music publisher, founded in 1963 and Nigerian-owned since Polygram's exit in 1991.
- Based in
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Founded
- 1963
- Website
- premiermusicnigeria.net
Premier Records Limited is Nigeria’s oldest record label, tracing its incorporation to 1963 as Phillips West Africa Records. The company traded under the names Phonogram Ltd and Polygram Ltd after the Dutch major Polygram acquired a controlling stake in the early 1970s, before Polygram exited Nigeria in 1991 amid the Structural Adjustment Programme and the business was renamed Premier Records Limited under Nigerian ownership.
Its catalogue carries recordings by Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, Celestine Ukwu, Gentleman Mike Ejeagha, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Dr Victor Olaiya, Ras Kimono, The Mandators and other Nigerian artists from the highlife, juju and reggae eras. Premier Music Publishing Company Limited is its publishing subsidiary and the counterparty in the October 2026 administration agreement with Sony Music Publishing Nigeria.
Michael Odiong, who joined Premier in January 2008 as Special Project Manager, is group chief executive officer of Premier Records Limited and its publishing subsidiary. He has chaired the Music Publishers Association of Nigeria since February 2025.