A show promoter, Fine Boy Swag (FBS) Entertainment, has threatened to drag popular Nigerian rapper and son of Nigeria's ex-Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe, Naeto C, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what it termed an alleged 'fraudulent obtainment of money under false pretence' from the company by Naeto C. According to a press release made available to naijaentertainers.blogspot.com through its representative, Muhammad Nura, it claimed that Naeto C failed to honour his side of an agreement to perform in one of its shows the company had contracted the rapper to perform at in July 2012 after making an initial payment of N400,000 of the N600,000 agreed as the total payment. The statement reads, "13TH NOVEMBER, 2012 ATTENTION: ALL MEDIA HOUSES REPORT OF FRAUDULENT OBTAINMENT OF MONEY BY MR NAETO CHIKWE We write to report the case of obtainment by false pretence committed against our enterprise Fine Boy Swag Entertainment (herein referred to as “Our Company”) by Mr. NAETO CHIKWE. (A musician by profession who is popularly known as “NAETO C” also herein referred to as “NAETO C”.) "We would like to state that we had discussions with NAETO C over a contract to perform at the show which was scheduled to hold at Cubicle Arena, Maitama Garden, Maitama on 18th of July 2012 by 5:00pm in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria and he agreed to perform at the show. "Our agreement is detailed in a one page contract agreement dated 14th July, 2012 and signed by NAETO C and our enterprise. A copy of said contract is hereby attached. "Consequently, and as agreed upon discussions with NAETO C, Our Company paid a deposit in the sum of four hundred thousand Naira (N400, 000.00) in to NAETO C’s Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Account with the account details as follows Account Name: Naeto Chikwe. Acct Number: 0115788951. A copy of the GTB payment teller is hereby attached. "NAETO C defaulted in performing as agreed in the contract signed, and also failed to pay back the money paid in respect of the contract four hundred thousand Naira (N400,000.00) being the deposit paid in respect of the contract. His actions as stated above apart from being a breach have also constituted an obtainment by false pretence which constitutes an offence under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "We hereby write to inform the general public of the activities constituting a betrayal of trust and serious criminal offence which should be accorded attention by all concerned. "NAETO C’s actions have made Our Company to suffer damages, which among others include loss of good image, business goodwill and withdrawal of contract deals by clients as many clients now see Our Client as being unreliable. "Our discussions with NAETO C to recover the amount paid have been fruitless and have been met with insults. We have written to EFCC to ensure that justice is done in respect of this matter and also to ensure that NAETO C is brought to book to curb the crime rate in Nigeria "We will be available for further consultations in respect of this matter as the claims are not in any way frivolous. Yours faithfully, Muhammad Nura FOR: FINE BOY SWAG ENTERTAINMENT" However, a representative of Naeto has reacted to the allegation. According to a statement released by Naeto C's representative, the rapper fulfilled his side of the bargain but claimed that the show promoter defaulted in paying up the balance of Naeto C's fee. He then claimed to sue the company for defamation and forgery because the statement claimed the signature shown in the contract does not belong to Naeto C. The statement reads, "With reference to the news making the rounds on entertainment blog portals and social media platforms about our client Naeto C defrauding a show promoter of certain amount of money, we would like to clear the air and set the records straight. "For the purpose of clarity and details, we will enumerate all the facts of the affair below. Naeto C actually made the trip to Abuja to fulfill his end of the agreement subject to receiving full payment for the said event a day before or on the date of the engagement. When it became apparent on the day of the show that the promoters were not forthcoming with the balance, our client declined to grace the show with his presence especially as he had held up his end of the bargain regardless of the fact that the show was three days to his wedding. "Most significantly, the signature on the agreement document is not that of our client and this act of forgery is not only distasteful, but criminal. "At this juncture, it should be stated for the benefit of those that are new to the entertainment business that 'a show promoter is liable to forfeit any money deposited to book an artiste for a particular date if the promoter fails to complete payment before the stipulated time for the performance and the artiste is permitted to walk away from the arrangement’. "This is standard practice in entertainment all over the world because artiste will decline all other approaches by prospective clients once a party makes a commitment by way of an initial deposit. "Now that we have established the ground facts, let us further clarify the following claims that were made: *At no point did the said promoter have a direct conversation with our client regarding the subject. All forms of communication in the build-up to the agreement were carried out via a third party, a certain DJ Fresh, for whom our client was willing to perform as a favor. *The sum deposited is a fraction of the total amount which was agreed upon and stated in the agreement doc. "Now that we have established the ground facts, let us further clarify the following claims that were made: *At no point did the said promoter have a direct conversation with our client regarding the subject. All forms of communication in the build-up to the agreement were carried out via a third party, a certain DJ Fresh, for whom our client was willing to perform as a favor. *The sum deposited is a fraction of the total amount which was agreed upon and stated in the agreement doc. "The promoter defaulted on the payment of the balance from the amount agreed upon during negotiations. That said, we will explore all options made available to us within legal bounds of the constitution of Nigeria, including suing for fraudulent practices (forgery of signature) and defamation of character if we deem it fit, if these false claims and accusations are not retracted and a letter of apology issued. "Thank you for your usual cooperation."
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