• Sunday, December 15, 2024
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I didn’t deceive the plantain seller – Ashmusy

I didn’t deceive the plantain seller – Ashmusy

Popular social media influencer and actor, Ashmusy, who has been under fire recently for allegedly organising a fake charity for a plantain seller, has said the stories in the last few days have been very traumatising for her.

Recall that Ashmusy was called out by the self acclaimed social media activist, Very Dark Black Man, for allegedly raising funds for the plantain seller and not remitting the funds to the woman.

Reacting to the story, Ashmusy said she has been receiving death threats even as not so many people have bothered to hear her side of the story.

She said, “The last few days have been very painful and traumatic for me, my family, and people that are close to me. It breaks my heart to know that we have come to this point where a one-sided narrative has resulted in me receiving death threats, my pages being reported and my livelihood threatened.

“It is sad that in all this, nobody has reached out to hear my side of the story. Nobody has tried to confirm if the allegations of me defrauding an elderly woman, whom I set out to help is true. For the sake of truth, I’m going to share some information that will explain what the true situation is.

“I don’t know what VeryDarkMan has against me and I don’t necessarily care to know. But I think it is unfair that he would take one side of the story and run with it and go ahead to bully me on social media to cyberstalk me and call me names.”

Ashmusy admitted meeting the woman and giving her “a little something” before she decided to start a fundraiser for her.

“Yes, I met the woman in question and decided to help her. The day we met, I offered her some money…just a little something. Eventually, I started a fundraiser for the woman, powered by my NGO, The Ashmusy Foundation.

“The Ashmusy Foundation is dedicated to taking women off the streets. We do that by training them and then equipping with tools to set up businesses and be self sufficient. I started the foundation in 2023. The first set of beneficiaries was just empowered last month, largely due to the time required for training and fundraising for the business startups. The empowerment program is public. The empowered women can easily be reached and they can confirm they received training and business support. The programme was also supported by reputable brands as well.”

But Ashmusy said that when it got to the turn of the plantain seller, she rejected the training.

“The foundation planned to train her and also get a shop, all in a bid to elevate her business and encourage growth, from just selling plantain to a provision shop. But she made it clear that she wasn’t interested in training and she was too old to be made to go back to school. While we were still deliberating on a way forward, the lady apparently lost her phone and as a result, we had no way to reach her.”

Ashmusy, who said she wouldn’t want to talk further on this latest incident, however said she would still continue to work with the plantain seller.

“I would like to move forward with my work and life. As for the woman in question, I would obviously continue to work with her and see that she receives the support I committed to providing her and her business. I don’t have any problem with her and neither does she have any problem with me.”

In her verified Facebook account, Ashmusy said she will no longer post any evidence.

She said, “You all over here just believe absolutely anything. I will skip posting any evidences because I refuse to join anyone in weaponising poverty. I am not a manipulator so I will just leave it in God’s hands. The God that is too consistent to leave me half-way, that’s my Daddy.”

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