ANOTHER CELEBRITY FIGHT; LINDA IKEJI REACTED TO TOKE MAKINWA CRITICS
Unfortunately I don’t really know who she is…never met her…only seen her
Flytime interviews. I hear she’s also a radio presenter…and apparently she
said on radio recently that I am not a role model…
Here’s how Thenetng
is reporting it
her thoughts about popular blogger and former model Linda Ikeji stating
she ‘doesn’t think Linda Ikeji is a role model’.
urban radio station Rhythm 93.7 dropped her comments on air while she
was co-anchoring ‘The Morning Drive’ recently.
a gossiper, She sells gossip’, Makinwa said on the show and even
appealed to her listeners not to take the likes of popular US
blogger Perez Hilton and Miss Ikeji seriously.
that statement…I understand where she’s coming from. Some of the posts hurt
people, some help people. It’s the media, it’s the job I chose. Like every
other job, it has its advantages and disadvantages. You win some, you lose
some. I get it. I accept it.
It’s times like this I almost forget who I am…but then I remember where I’m
coming from and I smile. Let me tell you guys a story. Please continue…
It was early 2000, I was 19 years old, in my second year at the University
of Lagos. I’d been a model for
about a year and a half then. Modeling back then didn’t pay a lot. Sometimes
you eat, sometimes you can’t find food. Sometimes you had money, sometimes you
will have to beg for it. I’m not from a rich home. I started struggling since I
was 17 to support my family. So I kinda hard a tough life growing up but I kept
working, doing all sorts of modeling jobs, ushering, fashion shows, and at one
point I sold beer at a hotel. I’d leave lectures, go to a hotel and sell beer
from 1pm till 10pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn’t easy but I
had to survive. One of the things I said to myself back then was, the day I
sell my body to a man for money, may God strike me dead. I was determined to
make it on my own, never let any man take my dignity. In those days, most young
girls had an aristo…I was never one of those girls. I would rather starve or
beg for food than give my body to a man for money.
So back to my story. It was early 2000, I hadn’t done any modeling jobs in a
bit. I didn’t have any money in school, hadn’t ate a proper meal in days, there
was no money at home…my sister called and asked if I could send money
home…didn’t have any. I wondered what to do…then I thought of this aristo
who had been chasing me for months now…old man…married…rich…in his
fifties. I said to myself, why don’t you call him and beg him for money. Tell a
lie, say you need it to go to the hospital ‘cos you’re sick or something that
desperate. Which was what I did. What he said to me was ‘you know I like you. I
don’t know why you’re behaving like a child. You need someone to take care of
you blah blah blah’. Eventually he said I should meet him at a hotel. I will
never forget that hotel…Ambassadors hotel in Ikoyi. I was apprehensive about
going but I was desperate…I said to myself what’s the worse that can happen?
It’s not like he will rape you and there was no way in hell I would sleep with
him, so I figured even if he didn’t give me the money I asked for, at least he
would give me money for transport fare to go back home…that transport fare
was what I was looking forward to honestly. I didn’t have a dime on me, in fact
I borrowed small money from a friend to go to the hotel.
So when I got there, he bought me hotel food (my first real meal in days…:-))
and after I was done eating, he made his move. I shoved him off. He kept trying
and I kept pushing him away and after a while he got angry and said something
like, why did you come here then? Are you a child? He was angry that I made him
pay for a hotel room, spent money on food etc and not give him what he wanted.
So he got up to leave…and I told him I didn’t have any money to go back to
school. If looks could kill, I would have died in that moment he turned to look
at me. He left the hotel room, and I followed him. I kept begging and trying to
explain to him that I didn’t have transport to go back, he didn’t say a word to
me as he entered his vehicle and drove off.
I stood in front of the hotel wondering how I was going to get back to school.
All I had on me was N15. N15 wasn’t going to take me from Ikoyi to Akoka. In my
plans, I never imagined that I wasn’t going to at least get a few thousands
from him. I’d seen this guy before…he was a friend’s boss. He owned a media
business back then and every time I went to see this friend, this man would
call me into his office…tell me how pretty I am, how much he likes me and how
well he can take care of me. And he always gave me 5k whenever I was ready to
leave his office. But this time I was the one who called him…so he must have
figured I was ready to give in. We both misunderstood each other, I guess…:-)
Anyway, after standing in front of the hotel for a few minutes, I went back in
and saw a young man at the front desk. I explained my situation to him…he was
kind enough to give me N100 and that was the money that took me half way home.
By the time I got to Yaba, I’d run out of cash, so I trekked from Yaba bus stop
to UNILAG Akoka. I remember saying to myself while I was trekking with tears in
my eyes, that one day I’m going to make something of myself…every money I
make in this world would be my own hard earned money…I don’t care how bad it
gets, no man is ever going to take away my self respect…that’s all I have!
And that’s the way I lived. Determined to make it in life. On my own terms. As
my own woman. I kept struggling and struggling until God finally blessed me.
Now I have more money than I even know what to do with it. I make millions of
naira from what I love doing…blogging. The best part of all this is that I
would blog for free. Now I don’t chase money anymore…it chases me. It’s not
even just about the money, it’s the great friends I’ve met via this blog, the
wonderful people I interact with here, the freebies I get. How much of a big
deal I am to some people. How some people see me in person and scream with
excitement and want to take photos with me. Sometimes I pinch myself…I almost
can’t believe this is my life.
Once in a while I think of that 19 year old girl who trekked for miles to
school because she would not sell her body and I say to her, we made it, Linda,
we made it!
So maybe I’m not a role model in terms of what I do, but I know I’m definitely
a role model as a young woman. To all the young girls out there, if you’re
reading this, you can make it on your own. You don’t need to spread your legs
for men, you don’t need these old married men who just take your glory. You’re
strong, you’re beautiful, there’s nothing you can’t achieve on your
own. God has given you something no one else has. Find what it is and
build yourself. Don’t worry about what other girls around you have. Dignity is
far more valuable than a range rover. Make it in life on your own terms and as
your own woman, so that you can look back one day and be proud of who you were
and who you are.
I wish every one well in their journey. God bless.
Linda Ikeji
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