Popular media personality and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, has found himself in a public spat with a small business owner over an alleged unpaid debt of N380,000 for small chops supplied during the 2022 election campaign season.

A staff member of Black Diamond Kitchen, Ifeoma Obu, claimed that Momodu, who then served as Director of Strategic Communications for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Committee, engaged their services to supply small chops and waiters for a political event in Abuja.

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 According to her, despite fulfilling their part of the deal, they never received payment. In a video that surfaced online, Obu appealed to Momodu to settle the outstanding bill, lamenting how the debt had negatively impacted the small business.

Further throwing light on the issue, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, weighed in, revealing he personally paid N200,000 out of the alleged debt. Olayinka said if Momodu failed to clear the remaining N180,000 within a week, he would step in again to pay off the balance, just so the matter could be laid to rest.

Meanwhile, the owner of Black Diamond Kitchen confirmed the story, expressing gratitude to the “good Samaritan” who had helped offset part of the debt. He described how repeated attempts to get Momodu to pay had proved fruitless, forcing them to abandon hopes of recovery until Olayinka intervened.

Reacting, Dele Momodu outrightly denied the allegations. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed the claims as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image. “If Black Diamond Kitchen says I owe them, they should go to court,” Momodu said. He insisted he had never met the caterers, adding that the only “Black Diamond” he knew was the luxury outlet owned by Eko Hotels.

“This is all just insulting. How can I, as Director of Strategic Communications for Atiku, be owing N380,000 for small chops? It’s laughable,” he said.

The drama has since sparked mixed reactions on social media, with many weighing in on the responsibilities of public figures to promptly settle debts, especially those owed to small businesses. Whether this matter ends quietly or in court remains to be seen.