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Here's Linda's point of view:
Well, she's entitled to her opinion. I have nothing against that statement...I understand where she's coming from. Some
of the posts hurt people, some help people. It's the media, it's the job I chose. Like every other job, it has its advantages and disadvantageous.
It was early 2000, I was 19 years old, in my second year at the University of Lagos. I'd
been a model for about a year and a half then. Modeling back then didn't pay a lot.
I started struggling since I was 17 to support my family. So I kinda hard a tough life growing up but I kept working, doing all sorts of modeling jobs, ushering, fashion shows, and at one point I sold beer at a hotel. I'd leave lectures, go to a hotel and sell beer from 1pm till 10pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn't easy but I had to survive.
One of the things I said to myself back then was, the day I sell my body to a man for money, may God strike me dead. In those days, most young girls had an aristo...I was never one of those girls. I would rather starve or beg for food than give my body to a man for money. So back to my story. It was early 2000, I hadn't done any modeling jobs in a bit. I
didn't have any money in school, hadn't ate a proper meal in days, there was no money at home...my sister called and asked if I could send money home...didn't have any.
I wondered what to do...then I thought of this aristo who had been chasing me for months
now...old man...married...rich...in his fifties. I said to myself, why don't you call him and beg him for money. Tell a lie, say you need it to go to the hospital 'cos you're sick or something that desperate. Which was what I did. What he said to me was 'you know I like
you. I don't know why you're behaving like a child. You need someone to take care of you blah blah blah'. Eventually he said I should meet him at a hotel. I will never forget that hotel...Ambassadors hotel in Ikoyi. I was apprehensive about going but I was desperate...I said to myself what's the worse that can happen? It's not like he will rape you and there was no way in hell I would sleep with him, so I figured even if he didn't give me the money I asked for, at least he would give me money for transport fare to go back home...that transport fare was what I was looking forward to honestly.
I didn't have a dime on me, in fact I borrowed small money from a friend to go to the hotel. So when I got there, he bought me hotel food (my first real meal in days...:-)) and after I was done eating, he made his move. I shoved him off. He kept trying and I kept pushing him away and after a while he got angry and said something like, why did you come here then? Are you a child? He was angry that I made him pay for a hotel room, spent money on food etc and not give him what he wanted.
So he got up to leave...and I told him I didn't have any money to go back to school. If looks could kill, I would have died in that moment he turned to look at me. He left the hotel room, and I followed him. I kept begging and trying to explain to him that I didn't have transport to go back, he didn't say a word to me as he entered his vehicle and drove off. I stood in front of the hotel wondering how I was going to get back to school. All I had on me was N15. N15 wasn't going to take me from Ikoyi to Akoka. In my plans, I never imagined that I wasn't going to at least get a few thousands from him. I'd seen this guy before...he was a friend's boss. He owned a media business back then and every time I
went to see this friend, this man would call me into his office...tell me how pretty I am, how much he likes me and how well he can take
care of me. And he always gave me 5k whenever I was ready to leave his office. But this time I was the one who called him...so he must have figured I was ready to give in. We both misunderstood each other, I guess...:-) Anyway, after standing in front of the hotel for a few minutes, I went back in and saw a young man at the front desk. I explained my situation to him...he was kind enough to give me N100 and that was the money that took me half way home. By the time I got to Yaba, I'd run out of cash, so I trekked from Yaba bus stop to UNILAG Akoka. I remember saying to myself while I was trekking with tears in my eyes, that one day I'm going to make something of myself...every money I make in this world would be my own hard earned money...I don't care how bad it gets, no man is ever going to take away myself respect...that's all I have! And that's the way I lived. Determined to make it in life. On my own terms. As my own woman. I kept struggling and struggling until God finally blessed me.
Now I have more money than I even know what to do with it. I make millions of naira from what I love doing...blogging. The best part of all this is that I would blog for free. Now I don't chase money anymore...it chases me. It's not even just about the money, it's the great friends I've met via this blog, the wonderful people I interact with here, the freebies I get. How much of a big deal I am to some people.....
Click here to read Toke Makinwa's statements.
