The former president of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, has initiated a legal action amounting to 2.3 billion naira against the renowned Afrobeat artist, Davido,[/b] and is insisting on a four-day public apology for an alleged breach of contract and agreement regarding his appearance at a show.
Recall that last month, Amaju Pinnick publicly criticized the DMW music executive for failing to honor his commitment to perform at the 'Warri Again?' show, which took place in Delta State in October.
Mr. Amaju, the owner of Brownhill Investments Company Limited, the company responsible for organizing the annual show, has filed the lawsuit, designated as EHC/183/2023, before the Delta State High Court in Effurun.
It has been reported that the plaintiff, through his attorney, Mr. Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, is seeking 2 billion naira as damages against the singer and his music label.
In addition, the plaintiff is requesting the court to order Davido to make a public apology on all of his social media accounts and handles, as well as in two national daily newspapers, for four consecutive days, addressing the claimant and the attendees of the event.
According to the statement of claim made by the plaintiff, Davido approached Pinnick at the Abuja Airport early in 2023, expressing his interest in being contracted for the 19th edition of the "Warri Again Concert," scheduled for October 6, 2023.
The claimant asserted that even though Pinnick was initially hesitant to agree, he eventually relented, and they settled on a performance fee of 70 million naira for Davido.[/p>
Continuing the narrative, on April 6, 2023, the sum of US$94,500.00, equivalent to 70 million naira, was transferred, and the defendants officially acknowledged the payment.
It was reported that Davido recorded a promotional video after receiving the payment, but on the day of the event, he failed to make an appearance.
The plaintiff insists that significant sums were invested in print and social media advertisements and promotions for the event. Furthermore, it is claimed that on September 29, 2023, exactly one week before the event's scheduled date, Davido received a formal reminder letter concerning the event, along with the flight itinerary for the private jet chartered specifically to transport him and his team to and from Warri, Delta State, incurring additional costs of $18,000.[/p>
However, all attempts to contact Davido and his team on October 6, 2023, the day of the event, proved fruitless. The private plane scheduled to transport Davido and his team to Warri at the Lagos Airport remained available in case they eventually showed up at the airport.[/p>
As a result, Pinnick's company is demanding full payment of $94,500 for contracting Davido's services, which were not delivered as agreed.