- Nedu Wazobia cleared the air on allegations of charity fraud, explaining that his foundation was working with a social enterprise to provide scholarships to disadvantaged students
- He revealed that the partnership fell through due to disagreements, but his foundation continued with the initiative, raising over N4 million in donations
- He expressed disappointment and frustration with the allegations, stating that he has been "used" by people and will no longer be accessible to everyone
Following allegations of a N60 million fraud relating to a non-governmental organisation by VeryDarkMan amid the ongoing podcast controversy, Nedu Wazobia cleared the air in a live session with Pulse Nigeria on Thursday, February 20.
The renowned on-air personality used the medium to address various issues surrounding the ongoing controversy related to his podcast, The Honest Bunch.
First, Nedu clarified rumours regarding his health, stating, "I debunked the false claims about being admitted to the hospital. That is simply not true."
He also emphasised the importance of respecting guests during podcast sessions, explaining, "When a guest comes for the Honest Bunch Podcast, it is our responsibility to make them comfortable. It's unethical in the media to shut down or cut a guest's opinion."
Nedu then stated that personal relationships should not influence professional conduct, asserting, "My relationship with anyone does not give me the right to cut a guest's opinion. It is not professional; everyone has the right to express their opinion."
He further explained his silence for a couple of days regarding the all allegations, stating, "I have never been one to indulge in petty exchanges. It has never been my style to drag words with people on social media."
Addressing his departure from "The Honest Bunch," he clarified, "To straighten things out, I was never fired from The Honest Bunch Podcast. I chose to step back when the attacks became overwhelming. This was to allow the show to focus and move on." He continued, "Beyond being the host, I have a role to play as the devil’s advocate. It is my job to ask hard questions and voice thoughts that others may have without expressing them."
Nedu’s management clears the air about N60m allegation
Speaking for Wazobia, Sarah Williams, the chief operating officer of the Talking Drums Management Agency, provided additional insights into their partnership with a social enterprise focused on education. Williams explained, "We have been managing Mr. Nedu, among other talents, for about five years to support their careers." She shed light on a recent meeting between Nedu and a man representing a social enterprise providing educational scholarships for disadvantaged students primarily in Africa and parts of Asia.
“The man expressed a desire to partner with Nedu, aiming to leverage his platform to penetrate the Nigerian market,” Williams said. "After initial discussions, we organised a meeting where they expressed interest in collaborating. Our goal was to provide sponsorship and mobilise donations from Nedu’s fans, targeting scholarships for 1,000 students over two years."
The initiative, which would cost £10,000 per student and two years of online education in Nigeria and two years abroad, was planned to kick off with three events: one in Lagos, one in Abuja, and another in the UK. "All parties agreed to this plan in January 2024,"
Williams noted.
Engagements with event planners followed, leading to a budget approval of approximately N34-35 million for the Lagos event. The event planner required a 60 per cent deposit to secure the venue, Balmoral, and an additional budget of N22-23 million was allocated for promotions leading up to and following the event.
"Importantly, we held a press conference for publicity and to clarify things, we made it clear that Mr Nedu’s platform will source for donations for sponsorship, ensuring transparency," Williams asserted. “One thing to be clear is that the money raised goes to the social enterprise, so the account and information belong to the social enterprise. Mr Nedu wanted to set the record straight to avoid any controversy. This drive was done through The Nedu Scholarship Foundation, and all the information is available on the platform.”
Despite initial optimism, Williams mentioned that they received a message from the partners that the donations were seen, however they were not coming in as quickly as expected as of March.
"We communicated that charity in Nigeria operates differently than in the UK, where people might readily donate. In Nigeria, it takes time for people to contribute," she explained.
Unfortunately, on March 5, Nedu received a message from their partner, Dylan, stating, "They would no longer be part of the event and would not provide the expected support moving forward, and they were pulling out."
As Nedu and his management team navigate this setback, they remain committed to their mission of supporting education and empowering disadvantaged youth through scholarships and initiatives.
“The event was on the 9th and we got the mail on the 5th. We were not angry that you ditched us at the last minute and put his (Nedu) brand and name at risk. We have handled and mitigated the situation. And thankfully, nobody knew there were internal issues. The event came, and prominent Nigerians attended, and we have been able to successfully get people to pledge about N18 to 19 million and raise about four million,” she explained.
William further shed light as to why they touched the money, stating;
“Because we had outstanding pay, we could not agree.
We paid the event planners four million from the donations while trying to sort it out.
We had several conversations, and lawyers got involved.”
“We could not salvage the issue until they decided to write a petition to the Nigerian police on the 26th of June 2024. They invited us to come and we honoured the invitation. We provided all the evidence we had, and we had four to five months back and forth with them and the police playing the mediator. They did their investigation, and at the end of the day, they resolved to settle because the case had not gotten to a criminal case."
When questioned about how this applies to the students, William began;
" We had at least over 600 students who had filled out the application form and submitted their details, and we were supposed to pick. Those that were legible, but because of the fight, all these stopped. Even donors that we were supposed to follow up on weren't because both parties could not find a middle ground. For him, it is something he is passionate about and has been doing individually, so he asked if we could find a solution and agree on something. We tried, even if we can start with 10, and he does not want to put a negative light on the project if they settle."
She also explained that the reason for creating another account was that the enterprise wanted to maintain a professional distance from Mr Nedu as an individual. Instead, they preferred to work with him as a representative of a charitable organisation. This is why the brand was named after him.
“As an organisation, you need your account and it did not come into play until they realised they were left alone, hence we opened the account.”
Nedu gives end remark regarding controversy
During the live session, Nedu was asked if he suspected foul play during his initial conversation with the man.
Nedu replied that he didn't suspect foul play, explaining that the man had already been quoted exorbitant fees by three A-list artists, but Nedu was drawn to the project due to its charitable goals.
However, Nedu acknowledged that he has since learned a valuable lesson from the experience.
He also stated:
“I’ve been used by a lot of people, if you have my number, you need to delete it now cos I’m done being nice, I’m not going to be accessible any longer”
When being questioned about the sexual allegation, it was flagged out because they didn't address gossip,
"We sympathise with the lady dragged into this. Talks are normal, it is the price you pay for being in the limelight. We don't feel it. So we don't address gossip.”
Reactions pour in as Nedu addresses fraud allegations
TheRadar compiled some reactions below:
@ArsenalKendrick commented: “Did you commit fraud or not?”
@Papiloli90 commented: “See as nedu con cool and calm omo.”
@muyiwhar commented: “Live press conference cos of podcast 😅.”
@Prestamos999 commented: “I see nedu is really not willing to vomit that money instead he got one of his mistress to do a cover up video. He go cry no worry.”
@Favour69457 commented: “60% of how much was given to the event planner, you ppl should just stop this childish stream and go and make things right.”
“Nedu has been doing too much,” Nigerians react as Yvonne Jegede speaks on the podcast controversy
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Nollywood actress Yvonne Jegede shared her experience with The Honest Bunch Podcast controversy, recalling an unpleasant encounter where she called out double standards in criticising Yul Edochie's second marriage.
Jegede revealed that online trolls targeted her young son's social media page, forcing her to take it down. Although she accused podcast host Nedu of fueling the negativity, Jegede has since forgiven him.