By Philomina Brando
Actress Lizzy Anjorin has expressed her disappointment and frustration with gospel singer Tope Alabi for refusing to perform at her birthday celebration.
According to reports, Lizzy’s fan club, The Warriors, booked Tope to add color to a surprise birthday celebration, but kept the identity of the celebrant hidden from the singer.
However, when Tope and her husband, Soji Alabi, arrived at Lizzy’s clothing store and discovered that she was the celebrant, Tope refused to get out of the car due to personal reasons. The musician reportedly left the venue and refunded the money she was paid.
Filmmaker Oreofe Williams, who acted as a middleman in the transaction, claimed in an Instagram post that Tope received N2.5 million for the performance. Oreofe wrote, “Uncle Soji informed me that day would be very busy, and I pleaded with him to attend, having considered any possibility for a rescheduling.”
Oreofe also mentioned that the amount paid to Tope was initially higher but was reduced by 70% due to his intervention. He stated, “He also mentioned the amount was low for a birthday surprise, but I prevailed on Uncle Soji and he eventually honored my plea to receive the agreed amount.”
However, Lizzy disputed the amount paid to Tope, claiming that it was N4 million. In a video posted on Instagram, Lizzy said, “Aunty Tope, my fans paid you N4 million, and I have the evidence with me.”
Lizzy also expressed her frustration with Tope’s decision to leave the venue without performing. She stated, “Even if you were paid 500k, were you not an actress? In acting, we were taught that if you are to kiss your enemy on a movie set, you must do it.”
The actress also noted that she did not expect her fans to invite a gospel singer to her birthday celebration, as she is a Muslim. She said, “I’m a Muslim, and I didn’t expect my fans to invite a gospel singer to my birthday. They should have invited an Islamic singer.”
Lizzy added that she does not celebrate birthdays and would not have paid Tope anything if she had invited her personally. She stated, “I don’t celebrate birthdays—only a wicked person would claim I do. I’m not in a position to judge their reaction, but if I had invited them myself, I wouldn’t have paid them anything.”