In the aftermath of her tell-all, actress Yvonne Nelson’s time in Nigeria has become another intriguing discovery.
In another shocking revelation, she describes how powerful individuals in the leadership of several areas in Nigeria attempted to use her through close pals she compares to pimps.
Yvonne established the tone in chapter 13 with the joy she had following her breakthrough film Princess Tyra.
Her participation in the film launched her to popularity, landing her roles in Nigerian productions.
With increased notoriety came more money, as more doors in West Africa opened for the Ghanaian actress.
But, unbeknownst to her, some of these pleasures came with a cost that some of her colleagues expected her to pay.
Though she had encountered a few events in Ghana, her interactions on three distinct occasions, which she decided to describe, were on a different magnitude than she had anticipated.
These episodes occurred in Nigeria and included a preacher, a leading politician, and a renowned traditional ruler.
The Preacher
During her time in Nigeria, the author met a well-known and charismatic preacher who displayed interest in her.
It’s unclear how he found out she was in Nigeria, but her actress buddy might have been sending him information. When they met, the preacher assumed that because of his rank, the author would comply with his requests and show no aggressiveness.
“She only said someone wanted to see me and when I went out to see who it was, I was greeted by this popular “man of God”. He was calm and everything about him showed that I should have known what he wanted and kotowed to his wishes,” she wrote.
She, on the other hand, rebuffed his attempts, and their contact concluded with no more contact.
“I didn’t give in. And he wasn’t aggressive.”
Later, Yvonne learned of other sexual assault charges against the pastor, adding a frightening dimension to their experience.
“After a couple of failed attempts, he gave up and I never heard from him again until I started reading hordes of stories about allegations of sexual assault against him.”
The Politician
Another incident occurred when an actress acquaintance stated that her uncle, a popular governor or senator, wished to see the author. Despite her worries about meeting late at night, Yvonne accepted owing to the perseverance of her buddy. They headed to the Eko Hotel, where the alleged uncle was sleeping in a lavish suite. However, she was left alone in the room with him, perched on the side of the bed because no chair was supplied.
“The said uncle of my friend was in the luxurious Signature Suite. She introduced him to me as a popular governor or senator of one of the states in Nigeria. She then went to the lounge of the suite and left me with him in the room. There was no chair in the room, something that seemed deliberate. I sat on the edge of the bed and the most awkward silence I can remember in my life ensued.”
According to Yvonne Nelson, “he, perhaps, had the impression that I knew what to do or say, which I found ridiculous.”
The politician then sought an HIV test, requesting that the author give a blood sample.
“There was a fourth person in the lounge. The politician went to speak briefly to him and came back to tell me the man was his doctor, and that I should give him my blood sample for an HIV test. He said it was just a prick and that everything would be done in a short time. I found it disrespectful and shocking. Even if I wanted to sleep with him, that alone was enough to put any normal woman off. If he was interested in knowing my HIV status, why did he think I would not be interested in his?”
She declined and voiced her dismay, stating unequivocally that she had not come for such a reason. Realising his overtures were futile, the politician murmured something to the actress’s companion before leaving the hotel.
He gave the acquaintance a large quantity of money as a leaving gift, which she split with Yvonne.
“For our ‘transportation’ back home, he gave my friend some dirty Naira notes he had produced from the briefcase that lay on the bed in the room. It was 1 million Naira and my friend gave me half of it. When I later googled his name and saw his photographs and association with a number of female actors and celebrities, I wondered what happened before or after those photographs.”
The Traditional Ruler
Though it began in Ghana, the author was escorted to the palace of a strong traditional ruler in Nigeria, who had reportedly vowed to fund her Glaucoma Foundation, which was close to her heart because of her grandmother’s struggle with sight loss. Yvonne Nelson arrived at the majestic palace after surviving a scary journey only to discover a sickly king who made no effort to engage in conversation or show any interest in her charity. He just invited her to join him on his regal bed.
“One had to go through several halls before coming face-to-face with the ruler. Wait here. Come here. Go there. These were the instructions I heard until I met the powerful ruler, who was not so powerful in physique. He was a frail old man who looked like someone who could not survive another five years. The inner court I was ushered in to meet him had a magnificent royal bed, where he beckoned me to join him. Whatever the intermediary had told me did not happen.”
Yvonne preserved her dignity by refusing to conform to his demands.
“It seemed, like the governor, this old man expected me to know why I was there. He expected me to go ahead and act on cue.”
Mentally, she had “prepared to resist anything untoward and his attitude fortified my resolve even more.”
“When he asked me to join him on the bed, I wondered what he needed me there for. At his age, what was he up to? I didn’t move. And when he realised he had made a wrong choice, he dismissed me.”
As payment for her voyage, Yvonne received a portion of the money given to the person who brought her to the palace by the ruler.
“He gave the man who took me there a wad of dollar notes, who then gave me a share of $,5000 as compensation for travelling to see the king.”
Her wrath and disappointment at the friend, on the other hand, ended their friendship.
She also questioned whether his participation in hosting parties for powerful men includes encouraging predatory conduct.
“He organises an awards ceremony that is well patronised and I wonder whether pimping for powerful men is part of his job. If it is, then in my case, he got the wrong target. I used to respect him because of the kind of people who patronised his programmes. I had known him back in my university days because he was dating my friend.”
Source: Myjoyonline.com
