ROLAND M. JOTA FIGHTS BACK: BEWARE OF FREELOADING NIGERIAN FRANK IKEGWUONU We Filipinos tolerate people of different nationalities, for as long as they are sensitive to our needs while doing business in our country and respect our culture on one aspect and us on a personal level on another, Nigerians included. But somehow, a very unpleasant and irritating experience created by one Nigerian national Frank Ikegwuonu caused us concern to take action. Years have passed since Mr. Ikegwuonu came to the country and caused anxiety and aggravation to a number of Filipino professionals, of which the most affected was yours truly. His visit, brought about by his ego-boasting, arrogant attitudes proved nothing but a sham.He claims he was hosted by the Nigerian Ambassador,but was not even given officialrecognition by Nigerian diplomatic officials based in Manila,thanks to verifications that I conducted with the assistance of the Embassy staff and officers headed by Consul Mohammad Manu, who are updated on businesses as well as personalitiesin their own country, they even attested that Mr. Ikegwuonu’s credentials as well as office addresses were all fake. Mr. Ikegwuonu’s claim as one of Nigeria’s top media personalities who can do movies and produce a prestigious beauty pageant (in this case as ‘country promoter’ of an African pageant that has 12 delegates from several countries of which as per understanding is not allowed) also prompted him throw his weight around that he insisted on doing film projects with a crew complete with all coverage equipment that he was supposed to fly in; that equipment never materialized and he only brought with him a small digicam that is good only for uploading in social networking sites. To make matters worse, Mr. Ikegwuonu did not even have an official business card to present when I accompanied him on trips to visit provincial dignitaries; I had to cover up for him by presenting copies of On The Spot. During several ocular out of town trips that I made to accompany Mr. Ikegwuonu, the latter’s leechlike habits were obvious; he seemed interested only for the ride just to have photo-ops with provincial officials and to espy on how much are being spent during such coverages as well as what will be allotted for support of WFQ. His imperious, boastful and demanding mannerisms that enabled him to enjoy the ride obviously were an affrontto the way we Filipinos have to be treated;this was also sensed by those that accompanied us during these trips. His demanding attitude and claims that he was very rich was no match for the hotel he stayed at (in actuality the Riviera Mansion Inn, in contrast to the Hyatt hotel of which he boasted he was billeted at but never stayed in or set foot at), his wearing the same pieces of clothing without change for days and his insistence that I would borrowfrom him almost a million dollars supposedly to make what he calls an indie movie. The amount that he wishes to borrow is obviously insane and out of touch vis-a-vis the norms of making an indie film which could be done at a budget of ten percent (or even less) of his claimed amount! Mr. Ikegwuonu purported that I was connected as a broadcaster with ABS-CBN, one of the country’s gargantuan media corporations. This again was another lie that he fabricated. Though I know colleagues from ABS-CBN, I never said that I was connected with ABS-CBN and I personally consider this an insult to name drop or brag about working with ABS-CBN just to be opportunistic. Since 1984, I was already active in media, and a lot of media people know this. I was just invited by Mr. Mark Ancheta to cover the Miss Young International event for the souvenir program, to do special coverages, and help out in their promotional activities. To my shock, I only found out at the last minute from Mr. Ancheta himself that the candidates’ arrival will be on the following day. It was very appalling for me to witness the candidates arrive by taxi, eat their meals in a styro and be billeted at a three-star hotel in Rizal Avenue along downtown Manila. Such was very unbecoming for candidates of whom I personally believe deserve transportation, accommodations and meals that are much more decent and are of first-class or five-star standards. I was also very suspicious at this point of the links that Mr. Ancheta has with his Nigerian counterpart, who happened to be Mr. Ikegwuonu. I may run a litany of the things that Mr. Ikegwuonu incurred, much of which were to our annoyance no matter how petty these may be. And his presence was really something that messed things up. I also am aware that Mr. Ikegwuonu is masquerading as someone out to destroy me under the guise of a prominent Filipino figure who has a hidden agenda against me. Yet these very unpleasant experiences, of which he abused both my integrity and my entire being which is now being questioned by others interested in doing business with me, has drastically affected my profession. I have maintained my silence all these years and have been doing a decent means of earning a living (no matter how, as a commentator, I gravely criticize people and issues), but I was advised by both my family and colleagues to fight back by using even the most drastic means available. Though I am aware on how the social media plays its part on such matters, I have decided to submit my side and let everyone balance the situation on who is true and who is not. Let this unfortunate experience of having Mr. Ikegwuonu do business in the country be a warning signal for us Filipinos.Let us stand up and fightagainst foreigners who are engaged in unscrupulous means that are also an insult to our well-being as decent, law-abiding people who practice our professions PROFESSIONALLY.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:47:46 +0000
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