Popular Nigerian Chef, Hilda Baci, has broken her silence after she was slammed by a brand for denying her involvement in a meet and greet event, despite being paid N3m for a guest appearance.
The event company, Vibe By Ann, took to social media to counter Hilda’s claims, threatening legal action against her after she denied her participation in a pre-planned meet-and-greet scheduled to take place in the Federal Capital Territory on June 24, 2023.
The chef, who rose to fame after breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time by a person, faced backlash when an e-flyer promoting an N25,000 meet and greet event with her started circulating on social media a few days ago.
However, amid the backlash, Hilda took to Twitter to deny any involvement with the event, stressing that she would never charge for a meet and greet.
In a statement, Vibe By Ann dismissed her claims, saying that the Chef knew about the event and was paid N3 million for her appearance.
“Arrangements for this event were already concluded, as both parties agreed to publish information about the event after an advanced payment was made to Miss Hilda Bassey. However, Hilda Bassey suddenly denied publicly having any prior knowledge of the event. Her conduct has negatively affected our reputation as a brand. Consequently, we are taking all necessary legal steps towards resolution.” The statement read in part.
In response, Hilda Baci, who admitted receiving N3 million for the guest appearance, explained that the brand was not fully transparent about the nature of the event and had released the flyers without her consent.
According to Hilda, even before the event caught some attention online, looking at the flyer made her realize it didn’t align with her brand values, as she would never charge for a meet-and-greet. Therefore, she refunded the N3 million she was paid and withdrew from the event.
She noted that they were still chatting about the event when the brand uploaded the flyer on social media, despite her disagreement with it.
She explained that from the start, she thought the event was a free gathering organized for her fans in Abuja, as the company had initially led her to believe.
When she saw the flyer urging people to pay N25,000 to see her, she made it clear that it wasn’t her brand, prompting her to back down. She also mentioned that she has since repaid the N3 million and intends to take legal action against the brand.
Watch her speak below,
