Wahala: UNILAG Student Spends Money Meant for Artist She Invited to Exhibition

Cursory: A spoken word artist has called out a UNILAG student with evidence,for breaching the agreement she made with him after he had performed.

A spoken word artist resident in Lagos has accused Chidinma Ibemesi, a student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), of reneging on contract terms between them.The artist, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that Ibemesi recruited no fewer than four artists to perform at an art exhibition organised by Daniel Nupo, a photographer who identifies as ‘The Wallpaper Guy’, on Sunday, November 20, and committed to paying logistics costs.

He said when he asked how much she would pay for his performance, she told him the organiser was not willing to pay a fee but he would get N10,000 for his movement to and fro the venue.He agreed to this and performed at the event. However, Ibemesi failed to honour the agreement, only to text him on Friday, December 2, that she “sort of spent” his money.

Speaking to FIJ, the artist said,

“Sometime in October, she said she was looking for spoken word artists to perform at this event, so I asked how much she was willing to pay.

“She said ‘The Wallpaper Guy’ was not looking to pay fees, but they would cover Uber fares for N10,000 if I showed up. We haggled for a bit, but then I agreed and asked that she send the picture she wanted me to write and perform about.

“The idea was that ‘The Wallpaper Guy’ was looking to sell some pictures, so I told her it was a profitable venture and I should be paid. Typically, I had no intention of getting paid. My intention was to go out and perform again, as it had been three years since I did so.

“When I learned I would be pitching art with my craft, I decided to ask, and that was how we arrived at the logistics settlement. Prior to the event date, I tried to cancel a number of times due to miscommunication from her end – she sent the pictures late – and due to some other commitments of mine, but in the end, I agreed to make it down.”

The artist told FIJ he texted Ibemesi hours before the event, and almost cancelled again, but she convinced him to show up. He said he then asked that she send the logistics fee beforehand but she asked him to arrive at the venue first.

He said:

“I went there with a friend of mine, and we spent N15,100 on our Indriver trips to and fro the venue,” he told FIJ.

“While there, Ibemesi and I met, and she brought up the topic. I only sent my contact information to her and left.“That night, I texted her, asking for videos and pictures of the event, but she did not respond. The day after, she apologised and said I should give her time. I said I was only asking for videos and pictures.

“A week later, she told me she was sorry for not giving feedback, and ‘The Wallpaper Guy’ was yet to send money to her. I felt she was taking advantage of me, so I dug up his number and called him. What he said shocked me. He said he had given Ibemesi the money a while back and was surprised I was calling him. I appeared stupid on that call.

“When I asked Ibemesi about it, she went mute. Then on Friday, she texted me and said she had “sort of spent” it and did not know how to tell me.”

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