Niniola: From hot cake to hot potato
“Justice delayed is justice denied” may seem like a rigid fact until you hear stories like that of Niniola which implies that Justice delayed may just be Justice best served for later.
The year was 2010, and MultiChoice was running it’s second edition of a music TV franchise in partnership with indigenous telco brand, Globacom. Niniola’s voice claimed a sure place as one of the last 10 contestants, and this was clear from the instant she opened her mouth. The judges, the studio audience, the viewers at home and sometimes even the host all seemed to be in favor of Niniola’s delivery.
This didn’t come as a shock though to any who knew her as an undergrown established professional singer who sang at night clubs and bars with a live band, something that a lot of Nigerian artists still find difficult to attain. The confidence in her was not misplaced, as she was looking like the most qualified amongst rookies. The Glo Naija Sings price and fame and a little fortune all seemed to be in the waiting for her. Then came a nightmare from her past, an ex-boyfriend, who evidently was not new to blackmail surprising her with pictures of her nude self, graphic to the last degree.
What Federal Character cannot confirm is if Niniola was given first glance of the pictures before they were taken to the sponsors of the show by the said ex-boyfriend.
To do this at this stage of the show was to go directly for Niniola’s jugular, because she was already a household name with millions rooting for her across the country.
Like a true professional in the blackmail business, this ex-boyfriend of hers did not take the nudies to the broadcast station, Multichoice, nor simply publish it without achieving the aim of hurting Niniola. Like the man on a mission, he took her nudies straight to the sponsors of the show whom he knew had the biggest say on what happens with show, and threatened to tie the seemingly immoral pictures to the approval of the sponsor if they did not take her off the show.
With great panic and a dread of tying the reputation of a multi-billion dollar business to the careless act of one contestant of the show, the company (Globacom) with one clear instruction to Multichoice, the broadcast partner, and Storm records, the producer, turned Niniola’s prospect from hot cake to hot potato.
The hard part was what explanation would best calm the likely to be agitated fans of Niniola. Eventually all the parties involved decided that no explanation was need. And so, they simply lied that Niniola had the lowest votes, which explained her leaving the show the next week.
This left everybody in shock except Niniola, who had been called and told the truth.
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