Mo Abudu addresses rumour she slept with governors to fund her brand

Mo Abudu, the Nigerian filmmaker who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of EbonyLife Media, has addressed claims that she slept with governors to fund her business.

There were reports alleging that the movie producer had intimate relationships with governors and other top politicians to secure projects.

But in a chat with Chude Jideonwo, the 57-year-old filmmaker said she is unperturbed by the rumours.

Abudu, who touched on the reaction of her partners to the claims, stated that critics are free to think what they want.

“There are people always there to put you down, people who ask ‘why her’ because you do the work and get results. Let anybody think what they want. Those that know you, know you. Those talking don’t,” the media boss said.

“Don’t lose focus because these things can be distracting. Someone decided a few weeks ago to come and say all kinds of rubbish. The next day, we were already working. People were calling me like it was something serious.

“I told them I’m really okay. It can be painful because of the young girls that look up to me. I don’t want them to think this is what I’ve done. And, if they do, I worry about them. How do you do the work we’ve done by worrying.

“Some of my partners called and said, ‘my goodness, what’s going on there? I really thought Nigerians were a little bit more.’ I told them it’s not all Nigerians that are like that. I was defending Nigeria. They said it doesn’t add up.”

Abudu also reacted to claims that she is indebted to banks.

Pointing out that she’s not the one to fear debt or growth, Abudu said entrepreneurs who have all the cash it takes to run their businesses might not be paying attention to the likelihood that their vision isn’t as big as it should be.

“I don’t have feedback on that. If I’m owing the bank, they need to pray for me to be alive to pay back. They should be calling me every morning and asking if I’m okay. And I’d be like, ‘I’m fine. I know I’m owing you,” she added.

“They need to be invested in my success and everybody wins. I’m not afraid of debt and growth. If I can make a good case and you’re happy to lend me the money, I’ll take it and do whatever it takes to pay it back.

“I’m still here. Everybody gets paid monthly and the bank has not come to close me down yet. You keep having a conversation with them, although things aren’t always going to be rosy. There could be times when you’re due.

“And you haven’t paid back that month or whatever the case may be. You have a conversation with them and say you’re working on it. Everyone does it. If you have all the cash to run your business, the vision isn’t big enough.”

Recently, Abudu was the subject of media backlash over the negative reviews that trailed ‘Chief Daddy 2’, her latest film.