SOME PEOPLE ARE OUT TO TARNISH MY IMAGE –INI EDO

Sexy actress, Ini Edo wore a worried look as she sat down before a cross section of journalists to clear her self of the several scandals bordering on her modesty as an actress. The recent being talks that she dupes men by pretending to have agreed to their love propositions. In this interview with the beautiful actress, Victor Akande writes on what the actress believes is responsible for her predicaments. Excerpts

Akwa Ibom State born sexy actress, Ini Edo came to limelight as a screen actress while playing along side Kenneth Okonkwo in one Nollywood's spectacular movies entitled World Apart. In that flick, you cannot but be taken aback by her seeming innocence, her beauty, (in spite of her height), and her excellent delivery. Less than two years after that exposure, she became a household name especially at that time in 2005 when top actresses like Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, among other top female stars were observing an indefinite suspension or blacklisting (to use the right word) by movie marketers who felt they were becoming unruly and excessive in their demand for fees. However, unlike the reigns of Genevieve and Omotola, Ini Edo's rise to stardom has recorded more scandals than that of her two 'predecessors' put together.

Before her recent out cry to media men that her detractors are out to destroy her image through impersonation before innocent men who claim she dupes them of money and gift items, the last being the sum of 2, 000 US Dollars, Ini had just received suspension pardon from her guild over allegation by a marketer for what was described as indiscipline and insubordination on set. Hardly had she settled down for work than the rumour that she now uses the telephone for advance fee fraud cropped up.

At a press parley which she said was meant to let the whole world know that she is not really a bad person as some people try to project her, Ini, who was supported by the National President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Mr. Ejike Asiegbu, and his colleague at the Lagos state chapter, Mr Ernest Obi, , expressed sorrow over the alleged 2, 000 USD scam.

"I'm really very sad. Recently, I have been embarrassed on several occasions. I have come to realise that a certain group of people are impersonating me for whatever reasons. They call people up and claim to be me. In the process, they take money and gift items from these people and have even insulted some of them. By so doing, a lot of people now have a terrible impression about me because they believe they have been talking to me. But I say to you that these people, whoever they are, are just out to tarnish my image."

According to her, no amount of inducement could make her engage in this act.

"Without sounding immodest, I have a very comfortable job. I have worked hard in this industry enough to be able to put food on my table and get anything I want. I have heard of so many actresses being talked about but my own case has gotten to another stage. It is totally unimaginable and preposterous for anyone to say that I go out to get money from men. If that is what I do, then I should probably leave my job and make that a full time job, but God forbid, I don't beg. I don't beg people for any favour whatsoever."

She said two of the people behind the scandal were arrested recently.

"We got two of them recently. I believe that there are still other people out there that we don't know yet. But I just want to tell every body that I am not a bad person.

The police have come into the matter. We don't want to sound prejudiced. Investigations are still going on."

"The so called scandals are pure lies and I have not ceased to wonder where some of them emanate from. But like some body said, the genesis of the whole matter may not be far from the fact that I have been able to attain this height in my career even though I have not stayed so long in the industry. But it is just God that has blessed me and I don't know why people should crucify me because of that."

It was also an opportunity to disabuse people's mind of much-bandied about information about what was considered her reckless lifestyle especially as it relates to drinking and smoking.

"I don't even smoke cigarette talk less of hemp."

Prior to this, inform

ation had it that she was seen at a party put up by Mercedes, former manager to Rita Dominic, now her own (Ini) manager at Dolphin Estate smoking. She was said to have ran into her car, driving off in a rush when people around wanted to check whether she was actually the one. She responded:

"I see the hands of some friends who want to tarnish my image in this." She said, adding that "Yes! I had a misunderstanding with some friends who promised to deal with me. But I didn't know they would go to the extent of cooking up stories. These are people who tried to act at some point in their lives and it didn't work out for them, so they think they can pull me down by their wicked rumours."

She went further: "You know how this life is; at times, you make friends with people who do not want anything good for you. At some point, they realised that I was soaring higher than them, so, they tried every means to bring me down. Whenever there is something positive coming to my life, they try something negative to overshadow that success."

Could these bad friends of her be the ones that were also rumoured to have beaten her black blue for snatching a boy friend of one of them? Ini responds, "the story was so crazy. Some of you journalists know my house; you should have called me to find out what happened. I think some people just don't like me. I might have made enemies without knowing."

May be she is also not a reckless drunk as she was painted. What is the limit of alcoholic content that she can go? Her response again was no. as she puts it, "I don't even drink. I have not tried that all my life."

Now, another rumour looms. The actress is recently spotting a silver colour ring suspected to be an engagement ring and it is being speculated that she is planning to get married to one Phillip who is also said to be married to an half Nigerian, half American lady. The story brewing now is that the lady has stormed Nigeria, determined to create a show down.