It is said that a leopard will never change its spots. This proverb is quite appropriate regarding the one and only Koko master, D’Banj, as once again, he has dared one of his benefactors, the billionaire businessman, Otunba Mike Adenuga Jr.
The first time D’Banj, who is also known as Eja Nla (Big Fish), locked horns with Adenuga was shortly after he signed his first endorsement deal with Adenuga’s telecommunications firm, Globacom, back in 2008. His endorsement then, which was alleged to be worth N70m with a Toyota SUV thrown in, was said not just to be the biggest Globacom had with any entertainer then, it was actually many times more than those of its other ambassadors then.
Considering how lucrative the endorsement was, it was therefore surprising to Adenuga and Globacom when D’Banj returned to them later like Oliver Twist to demand for an improved deal. And like Oliver Twist was refused in the popular book titled after him, Globacom also refused D’Banj.
It was even said that Adenuga was so angry at the ‘I want more’ request that he personally sanctioned D’Banj being dropped immediately as a Glo ambassador. And when he was dropped unceremoniously and without much ado and against his expectations as he was very hot then due to the mega success of his album, The Entertainer The Kokomaster, D’Banj, who is actually a humble person and is never ashamed to beg when he has to, went begging Adenuga but the affronted billionaire refused to heed the pleas of his impudent son whom he loved so much.
So when it was announced late last year that Globacom had once again endorsed D’Banj, people immediately flashed back to their past endorsement saga and wondered how it will turn out this time around. Well, such people might not have to wonder long as D’Banj hasn’t taken long to show his spots again. His misdeed this time around is that he has featured in the music video of Emmah, a song by Kcee, an ambassador of MTN, Globacom’s main rival.
Though endorsements are lucrative to artists, it prohibits them from associating with elements of their endorsing companies’ rivals. It was for this reason that Tiwa Savage could not perform at the prestigious Sister With Soul concert last year.
She is an MTN ambassador and the concert was sponsored by Etisalat. Omawumi, another Globacom ambassador, was also affected by her endorsement last year as, when she wanted to shoot the video of Warn Yourself, the song in which she featured Wizkid, she had to cut his vocals from the video as she couldn’t feature him in it any longer because he was an MTN ambassador. So now that D’Banj has dared Adenuga again, what will happen this time around? Naijalog will bring you that answer at the right time.