Controversial social media critic, Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has accused On-Air Personality (OAP) and former host of The Honest Bunch podcast, Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, widely known as Nedu, of misappropriating funds meant for a Non-Governmental Organisation’s (NGO) scholarship programme intended for Nigerian students.
VeryDarkMan detailed how Nedu allegedly defrauded the charity organisation that had sought his involvement in promoting their scholarship initiative in a TikTok video he posted on Wednesday.
“I say I wouldn’t talk about this Nedu Wazobia matter again because of all the people who called me, especially some I really respect. Even when he was in the hospital, people were calling me and begging me to leave the matter. I agreed, but this evening, I received a lot of evidence from people claiming Nedu defrauded them,” VeryDarkMan stated.
He expressed strong disapproval of the alleged fraud, particularly because it involved charity funds.
“This particular type of fraud is the one I hate the most. Charity and NGO fraud—those are the worst. The craziest part about this case is how they used Timaya, Kcee, and others without their knowledge,” he added. “Why I said they use them because I am sure that they don’t know that Nedu used them to do this kind of thing, but we will discover because I am sure that if Timaya see this video, he will definitely call me.”
According to VeryDarkMan, a man based in the United Kingdom had invited Nedu to an acquaintance’s party. While at the event, Nedu seized the opportunity to serve as the Master of Ceremony (MC). During the gathering, the host introduced the charity project, explaining that they were offering scholarships through the Metropolitan School of Business and Management in the UK.
The organisers decided to collaborate with Nedu, believing that using his image and influence would add credibility to the initiative and attract more applicants. “Nedu then said, ‘Yes, I would like to be the face of this charity.’ He even claimed that he personally sponsors students and that this initiative aligned with his goals,” VeryDarkMan narrated.
Nedu reportedly proposed a large-scale publicity campaign in Nigeria, arguing that his name would attract attention since the Metropolitan Business School was relatively unknown. He then submitted a budget labelled ‘Budget for Nedu Charity Gala,’ which included expenses that included Payment for 10 influencers at ₦500,000 each (₦5 million), Digital marketing costs (₦3.5 million), 20 LED billboards (₦7 million), Video production (₦2 million), Media coverage (₦1.56 million), among other things, which amounted to a total budget of ₦85 million, with an upfront payment of ₦60 million
The NGO agreed to the terms, and payments were made to the broadcaster in installments.
However, after receiving the funds, Nedu reportedly stopped responding to calls. His manager also became uncooperative, raising suspicions among the organisers. When they requested updates on the promotional campaign, they found that no advertisements had been placed on major blogs, websites, or billboards as promised.
“On the day of the event, Fiokee and some others performed, but when it was time to discuss the charity, Nedu displayed his Moniepoint account details instead of the organisation’s. About 450 students had already registered for the scholarships through Nedu’s platform, but now they are stranded,” VeryDarkMan alleged.
He further claimed that Nedu misdirected the scholarship funds, making it impossible for the organisation to provide the promised financial aid to Nigerian students.
“They invested ₦60 million in publicity to raise money and help Nigerians get scholarships, but Nedu funnelled everything into his personal account instead of the Metropolitan Business School’s account in the UK. Now, everything has gone south,” he stated.
VeryDarkMan announced plans to take legal action on the development. “I have told them not to worry. I will write a petition on their behalf and take it to the appropriate authorities. Nedu should be invited to account for the ₦60 million and explain where the money went.”
He also criticised the broader trend of fraudulent NGOs in Nigeria, stating, “This is what I am saying about NGOs in Nigeria, they come online to make it seem as if they really want to help but lowkey, it’s fraud. A lot of these celebrities who own NGOs are fraud — it’s a lie.”
