Nollywood actor and content creator, Kehinde Ganiyu, popularly known as Ijoba Lande, has publicly apologised to filmmaker Funke Akindele after accusing her of underpaying him for a movie role.
Tribune Online earlier reported that Ijoba Lande claimed he was paid just N90,000 after spending a month on set with the actress.
Following backlash from fans and colleagues, the actor took to Instagram on Friday, where he prostrated before the camera and pleaded for forgiveness.
He urged the public to help him apologise to Akindele, saying he never intended to tarnish her image.
Please help me. Don’t let me end up in jail. Help me beg Funke Akindele,” he said.
According to him, the viral video had been edited and misrepresented.
He stated that he originally mentioned N190,000 but people focused on the N90k slip.
“The video people are sharing was edited. That’s not how I originally recorded it.
“I never had any intention to tarnish her image. She didn’t wrong me,” he said.
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Describing the video editors as “wicked,” Ijoba Lande stressed that Akindele had not wronged him and begged her not to sue, expressing fear that the controversy could ruin his life.
He continued, “When I was explaining that it was N90,000, you cut the video and joined it together.
“It was not N90,000 from the start, and I explained in the video that it was a mistake — I meant ₦190,000, not N90,000.
“I wasn’t the only one in the video. In fact, Mama Ogba came upstairs to tell me that it was okay like that, and we were even discussing the good things Aunty Funke had done in the industry.
“You cut and edited the video before posting it. You didn’t post the full video.
“You only shared the part where I made a mistake. Please, don’t ruin my life.
“If I get sued now because people believe I was paid N190,000 and I claimed it was N90,000, where will I get the money to pay any fine? Please help me beg Aunty Funke. I didn’t mean it the way people are interpreting it.
He continued, “What really happened was that we were discussing upcoming actors and how they should always agree on payment before going to work, because there are many exploiters in the industry now.
“Many producers aren’t even aware of how much actors are being paid. Sometimes, the PMs (production managers) remove some of the money before paying the actors.
“That’s what I was explaining in the video. Then I used my story with Aunty Funke as an example — that I worked with her in 2022.
“I spent a whole month on set and was paid N90,000, but I later corrected myself, saying it was actually N190,000.
“I signed the agreement myself. I was okay with the money — that’s why I agreed to it. What happened then was that Aunty Funke called me to work, and someone else brought the contract.
“I decided to take the job and worked for one month. When the month ended, I stopped going to the location.
“The title of the production was My Siblings and I, and I played the role of a gateman in the series.
“She later called me personally and asked why I wasn’t coming to the location anymore. I told her it was because the money wasn’t good enough.
“She asked how much I was being paid, and I told her. She then said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ and I replied that I thought she was aware.
“That’s when I realized she didn’t know the actual amount. She said they would call me back.
“I was called back, and she instructed that I be paid daily. They started paying me N55,000 or N65,000 per day until I completed the work with them.
“Now you went ahead to cut out the part where I said N90,000, even though I clearly stated in the video that it was a mistake.
He pleaded, “I wasn’t the only one in the video, please. Aunty Funke, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I have nothing against you, and I don’t want any trouble with you either.
“If you decide to arrest me, it means you just want to send me to prison because I’m not fighting you. Please, I’m begging you.”
and then