Nigerian businessman and media personality, Isaac Fayose, has responded to allegations made by a man identified as Kay Crown, who claimed he worked with his media organisation, ALIBI TV, in 2015 without being paid for several months.
The allegation, which surfaced on social media alongside a video, has generated mixed reactions online and reopened conversations about employer-employee disputes in Nigeria’s informal media and entertainment sector.
In the video, Kay Crown alleged that he worked as a cameraman and producer with ALIBI TV, an online television platform owned by Fayose, shortly before going for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He claimed he left the job after a few months because he had to proceed for his NYSC program adding that he was not paid for several months of work.
“To cut the long story short, I wasn’t paid for several months till I left for my NYSC. I called and called, baba blocked me,” he alleged in the video.
Kay Crown further claimed that he travelled with Fayose to Ekiti State during the time Fayose’s brother, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, was in office.
According to him, he worked on coverage of the governor’s 100 days in office during the trip and stayed in Ekiti for several days handling production duties.
The claims quickly went viral on social media, sparking debates about unpaid work in small media outfits and the treatment of young workers in Nigeria’s creative industry.
However, Fayose has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as part of a political attack against him.
In a video response posted on his Facebook page, Fayose said he woke up to see the story circulating online and decided to investigate the identity of the person making the claim.
He alleged that the story was being pushed by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of trying to damage his reputation.
“They said one of my staff said I didn’t pay him for three months. I said let me check who is writing this, I noticed it was an APC useless boy,” Fayose said in the video.
He added that he could not remember every individual who had worked in his organisation due to the large number of staff he has employed over the years.
“I can’t remember anybody because I am not the accountant, but I remember that some of them are thieves. It’s either they stole a laptop or did not come to work,” he said.
Fayose also said it is normal for organisations with large staff strength to have cases of misconduct or theft among some workers.
“You cannot have over one thousand people working for you and not have one or two thieves among them,” he added.
He further described the allegation as part of what he called a coordinated attempt to discredit him, suggesting that political opponents were behind the viral video.
“I know that when you fight slave masters, the slave masters will recruit slaves to fight you,” he said.
Fayose, who is known for his outspoken political commentary and social media presence, has often been involved in public disagreements linked to political issues and national debates.
The latest dispute has also drawn attention to the growing use of social media in Nigeria, where both personal grievances and political battles are often shared publicly and can quickly go viral.
The case also highlights long-standing concerns about unpaid internships, informal employment arrangements and poor documentation in parts of Nigeria’s media and creative industries.
Many young Nigerians working in small media houses, production studios and online platforms often say they face challenges such as delayed payments, lack of formal contracts and unclear job terms.
As of the time of filing this report, Kay Crown has not issued any further response to Fayose’s denial, while the video continues to circulate online with divided reactions from social media users.