It may have taken Earnest Adjovi, the executive producer of KORA Awards a longer time to fathom the thin line between fame and infamy, but by now, the music enthusiast knows better.
Information in our reach has it that, he was arrested by the men of the Nigerian Police Force, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos recently. He was to be detained at the police station when his lawyer pleaded that he should be moved to a more conducive place to react to the allegation of fraud against him by the Lagos State Government.
His arrest was informed by failed contracts by at least, three different bodies who swore to high heavens that, he would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Adjovi had a deal to stage KORA Awards in Cross River State before the annulment of Gov. Liyel Imoke’s election in 2008. By then, he had already got an upfront of $2.5m but while the governor was up and about fighting to secure his mandate, Adjovi dumped the state for Lagos where he entered into a fresh deal. Again, he got an advance fee of $7.5m from the Lagos State Government and kept promising to bring down the heaven since 2008.
He was still to sort things out with the two states when advert of KORA Awards in BUrkina Faso rented the air. He fled Nigeria to host KORA Awards in Mogadishu, Burkina Faso where P-Square was named the Artistes of the Year and ought to smile to the bank with cash prize of $1m. It was the same year Reggea artiste; King Wadada won in the gospel category. Till now, not a dime had been given to the winners. That’s just one of the instances of his sharp practices.
After his lawyer’s intervention, he was moved to Lagos State Quarters in GRA, Ikeja. And there he was detained for 19 days. He was forced to turn in all the equipment used to stage the 2010 Awards in Burkina Faso.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, cops from Lagos State Police Command, X-Squad picked him up again. His sin this time was breach of contract against the management of Z-Mirage, one of his partners. He failed to redeem N11m he ought to have paid after the last event he contracted Z-Mirage for. Perplexed as he was, the only thing that crossed his mind at that time was to leave his Hummer Jeep as a collateral with another pledge of paying N3m in three weeks and pay up the rest later, but in installments.
From all indications, Adjovi, who is currently back to his home town in Ivory Coast, may have fled never to return to Nigeria. Sadly too, the government of Burkina Faso is also alleged to be on his trail.
