By Stephen Gbadamosi
Movie producer and owner of Integrity Productions, Mr. Busayo Odu, has debunked claims by actress, Adekunle, that he refused to pay her for a movie transaction they had.
Adekunle had recently gone on the social media to castigate Odu on 29th December, 2023 crying to call attention of Nigerians to alleged refusal to pay her N500,000 proceeds of a movie bought by the producer.
But Mr. Odu, speaking with our correspondent from his base in the United States of America (USA) over the weekend, said he had health challenges that affected his businesses, adding that Adekunle also did this to gain people’s sympathy so that they could contribute money for her “and she actually achieved that aim.”
He said; “you would recall that she eventually made over N10 million from that single step she took. I’m only surprised that that she could be hell-bent on bringing down someone that has helped her career in the past, just for her own personal and selfish gain. If not, how could someone I spoke with on December 24th, assuring her of paying her balance that same month (by month end) went online December 29th and started shedding tears?”
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He also said that contrary to Adekunle’s claims, which he said were lies, he had paid the actress N200,000 out of her N5000,000, adding that prior to the day she went viral with her allegations, he had spoken with her assuring her of plans to pay her balance.
“My attention has been brought to the recent post of Adekunle and some bloggers. It has become imperative to respond for record purposes. Contrary to her claim that I have been ignoring or avoiding her, I still reached out to her on 24th December, 2022, assuring her that I would resume her payment from the end of the month.
“I have actually started paying her money before I realized that she had sold the movie in question to another online platform (Yorubahood), but I told her that regardless of what she had done, I would continue to pay her. There was any time I threatened not to pay her.
“The only time she sent me a message and I didn’t respond was at 3:39 a.m. on the day she went online to castigate me and that was because I was still sleeping.
“So, it was a rude shock when someone I reached out to on a Saturday, promising that I would start paying her by 31st December went on to Instagram the next morning with such a post,” he said.
Odu also said he was not indebted to Adekunle on another movie she alleged him to be owing on.
“Meanwhile, I am not indebted to her on Oyeku as she claimed. I gave her money to produce Oyeku in 2017 even without seeing her and I paid her in full. So, it is not our first business transaction. My ill health caused a lot of setbacks for my business. As a matter of fact, I took some loans with interest from some individuals to sort my health bills when my hospital in the United States insisted that I ought to provide a health insurance policy or they stopped my treatment.
“And as I’m speaking, I’m still owing the hospital about $10,000 and I’m still paying those individuals I borrowed money from.
“My indebtedness to people is as a result of my health challenges (which I have been trying not to disclose publicly for some years) which has one way or the other contributed to the collapse of my business. But I thank God for restoring my health.
“I was on business break for over four years. And in 2022, when I wanted to resume, I reached out to everyone that I was owing to explain the situation of things to them including Adekunle. I told them I was returning to the entertainment industry, but that I was having a deal with a financial institution to finance all the movies I was purchasing, starting from February 2022.
“I further explained to them that while I continued with my business, I would start paying back the old debt. Paying debt with a loan could lead me into bigger problem.
“Some other people I was owing in the industry due to my crisis can testify to it that I have paid their money. Some of those that I have paid off are: Seyi Edun, Ayo Olaiya, Mobolaji Daniel, Laposh, Wale Adebayo and Owolabi Ajasa, to mention a few.
“I have bought movies from a lot of producers and they can testify to the fact that I don’t owe. Such people are: Wumi Ajiboye, Victoria Kolawole, Wasiu Owoiya, Owolabi Ajasa, Segun Ogungbe, Mobolaji Samuel Maleeka, Kabir Okedara, Oluwaseun Olalere, Yetunde Oyinbo, Adebukola Salawu,
Oyinda Sanni, Lola Faduri and Allwell Ademola,” he explained.
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