RECENTLY, Vida Modelo, as she is fondly called, was caught in a web of controversies that smeared her reputation. In this interview, she tells her side of the story and how she was blackmailed for a crime she did not commit. Excerpt
May I ask your name, just for the record?
My name is Amb (Dr) Favour Obakoro, popularly known as Vida Modelo. Vida is a Spanish name, which means “life”, so a life model.
And what position do you hold in the state?
I am the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor of Delta State on Morals and Diaspora Affairs.
Could you take us through your educational journey?
I did my primary and secondary education in Nigeria before moving to Europe at just under 16. My first degree was in Production and Scriptwriting in Spain, followed by a diploma in Modelling.
After various certificate courses and programmes, I returned to Nigeria and earned a BSc in Tourism Studies from the National Open University of Nigeria. I was also awarded an honorary degree from the Chartered Institution of Hospitality and Tourism Management of America (in Nigeria).
I’m now pursuing a Master’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Did you ever practise as a model?
Yes. Between 2006 and 2008 in Tenerife, Spain, I did pageantry, including Face of Africa in Spain in 2008, before leaving modelling to focus on film.
I’m now a filmmaker, red carpet host, and presenter, fully active in media and entertainment. Alongside, my true calling is politics and humanitarian work. Through my La Vida Foundation, I fight human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual offences, and defend child rights, inspired by my story as a trafficking survivor.
Before we go into your journey into politics, you mentioned that you were a victim of human trafficking. Can you share that story?
I wasn’t trafficked because of poverty. My father was wealthy until his death; it was polygamy that pushed me there. At barely 15, after finishing secondary school, I saw my mother suffer and couldn’t bear it. My parents had separated, and living with my stepmothers was hell, no love at all. Even today, when I share this with my mum, she cries because she wasn’t there then.
I just wanted freedom, so I left home. That vulnerability was what traffickers preyed on. They promised me a job in a supermarket because I could bake, cook, and braid hair. I thought it meant freedom; I didn’t know I was stepping into something worse.
That’s how I became a victim in 2004, enslaved for almost five years, enduring trauma, torture, and pain. But God kept me alive for a purpose.
It’s what drives me to be part of the system today, to use my voice and experience to help others.
You mentioned that politics is a critical part of your life journey. Can you tell us how you started?
I hated politics, not just me, but my entire family. Even now, after what I’ve faced, they still say: “We told you, Nigeria’s politics is dirty.”
But for me, politics felt like a calling. Barely under 25, I thought, “What am I doing here (in Europe)? I need to go back to Nigeria, be part of the decision-makers, and fight for the girl child.”
So I returned, but didn’t jump in blindly. I started with humanitarian work through my foundation. Back home in Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area, I focused on advocacy for the girl-child and fighting human trafficking.
Though I’d been quietly paying school fees for young girls and widows earlier, I officially launched the foundation in October 2019, around the International Day of the Girl Child, giving scholarships, paying fees, sharing gifts, and speaking out.
A close family friend then advised me to enter politics. That was during Sen (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa’s reelection in 2019. I joined his publicity committee, touring all 25 local government areas, producing videos and interviews at my own expense. By God’s grace, Okowa won.
Though not appointed immediately, I kept working with my bosses and the PDP family, attending meetings and campaigns. In 2019, I finally became Special Assistant on Community Development.
When Governor Sheriff Oborevwori came in, I worked day and night in my constituency and ward during his campaign. After his swearing-in on May 29, 2023, I was appointed three months later as SSA on Morals and Diaspora Affairs.
What were your achievements as SSA?
My focus was on Deltans, and once I got the opportunity, I started working. We travelled to Malaysia, Qatar, Liberia, and Ghana to meet Deltans there. By God’s grace, we opened Delta Chapters in the diaspora, Ghana, Liberia, Malaysia, and inaugurated members in the presence of Nigerian embassies, ensuring we carried along both the embassies, Nigerian communities, and even host country governments.
My first trip was to Ghana, where I met government officials, the Nigerian and Delta communities, and the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). In Ghana, the King of Accra praised the Governor for sending a young, articulate delegate who understands the diaspora. It was the first official visit truly focused on all Deltans, not just the elites, but also the struggling, because I know what it means to live undocumented abroad as a former trafficking victim.
In Malaysia, I met top officials, the Ministers of Agriculture and Infrastructure, and engaged investors, solar and water companies, real estate, and NGOs willing to help vulnerable women and girls in Nigeria and those living undocumented. We kept communicating until this blackmail scandal forced me to pause.
Speaking of blackmail, what exactly led to you being accused of fraud?
I own Vida Modelo Multimedia, Fly with Vida Limited, Taste and Tell, all chains of my companies. I run a travel firm that helps people apply for travel, get job opportunities abroad, buy property, and do currency exchange through our global partners.
What happened: A Turkish company, ERN Partners, contacted us, saying they had clients wanting to register businesses abroad. I verified them myself, even paid $250 for an invitation letter to confirm they were real, and got the documents. They explained why the money should come to our account: for company formation and offer letters. I shared our official contacts and account details, all under Vida Modelo Multimedia.
When money came in – ₦10 million, ₦5 million, etc. – I charged a fair rate, transferred it to the man handling forex transfers, and sent the receipts to ERN Partners, who confirmed receipt every time. Everything was documented: chats, receipts, transfers. The issue only started when ERN Partners had issues in Turkey, and certain clients tried to pin it on me.
They even accused me of using my government office to scam people. But how? Vida Modelo Multimedia is not a government office.
Since May last year, I’ve been travelling to Abuja repeatedly to answer invitations by cybercrime units, clearing my name each time. And shockingly, these accusations were cooked up by colleagues within the government itself.
What happened when you faced the petitioners?
On January 13, 2025, I got invited to Abuja again to meet with CSP Taiwo Oyewale, thinking it was the same ERN Partners issue. But a new petition had come from David Udoma of Gateway Travels, claiming I scammed him of ₦36 million for visas. But the truth: David and I had no prior contact except a message he sent on June 4, 2024.
Our records showed a payment of about ₦31 million, which had ERN Partners’ name. So why blame me?
Subsequently, on January 15, we had another interview at the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). I waited from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. before “petitioners” appeared: the David and Victor Odewale. David changed his claim to ₦56 million; the other guy claimed ₦20-something million.
When it was my turn, I asked: “What is your name?” — David. “Have you met me before?” — silence. “Do we know each other? Any contract?” — silence. “Did I introduce you to ERN Partners?” — silence.
They showed a paper with ERN Partners’ name, but without my signature. Their story collapsed right there. Yet the officers stopped me from asking more, clearly filming and waiting to catch me slipping.
They played a voice note, which implied that I claimed to be ERN Partners. I refused, saying that with AI, a voice note isn’t proof until verified. Aside from that, who did I have the conversation with? They called me a criminal anyway, detained me for 18 days, seized my phones, ID, and blocked my bank accounts.
Moreover, people were posting that I scammed ₦200 million, without proof, without showing which government account I used.
VeryDarkMan dragged me on the internet, but did he reach out to me to hear my side of the story? No. Why didn’t the press, when they were doing all this drama, post the things I did for the government, including bringing back 24-carat gold plaques from Malaysia?
What happened after your detention?
I was bullied to pay N10 million before I was released. During that, they flew me to Asaba. At the airport, unknown people pressured police to handcuff me publicly, film me, and disgrace me, but the officers didn’t, thankfully.
In Asaba, they picked up a random boy on the road, calling him their “eye” to search my house, endangering me and my family.
Meanwhile, my clients panicked and pulled out; I fell into debt over ₦25 million, trying to pay them back in instalments. I spent over ₦20 million on legal and police issues, including lawyers who disappeared with my money.
My family suffered: my mother collapsed from high blood pressure. My name was dragged on social media as “aza mama,” thief, and fraudster.
How were you later vindicated?
ERN Partners later sent an official document confirming the money was truly transferred to them from my account. At a meeting, they admitted that Udoma and Odewale should have paid $850 per client but only paid $425, yet collected $3,500 from about 100 Nigerian clients.
Where’s the rest of that money? Instead of refunding it, these boys hacked ERN Partners’ Instagram to block direct contact with clients, then paid VeryDarkMan to publicly drag me online.
The police never investigated the Turkish company, never traced the real flow of funds, or reached out to over 100 clients scammed by these boys. Instead, they focused on me based on a blogger’s claims, without evidence or formal statements from real victims. They are even harassing people willing to testify in my private investigation, questioning why they should hand over evidence and documents to me.
The Delta State government suspended me instantly because of a viral video from VeryDarkMan, no internal investigation, no hearing, nothing.
I have receipts, chats, and documents showing the funds went to ERN Partners. In court, I’ll present them. Still, nobody claiming to be scammed has shown their face publicly, signed a statement, or produced proof.
So far, how has it been coming back to the office after your suspension?
I want my suspension to be lifted publicly, just the way they announced it publicly. It was on the government’s official platform, so they should go back there and announce it again, call the IGP SIU, to ask how far the case has gone.
I won’t forgive anyone, including the government, until the right thing is done.
Now you have been reinstated. Any goals in politics and humanitarian endeavours?
In politics, my goal is to be the first female governor of Delta State. To be part of top decision-making, where women can speak without being bullied.
Women face a lot in politics, bullying, and suppression. But I won’t back down. I want to attract investors, work with NGOs, and bring real empowerment for young people.
You’ve walked through trauma, blackmail, and politics. What advice do you have for women who’ve faced the same or simply want to carve their path and succeed?
Be confident. Speak up. Don’t let anyone dim your shine. Don’t compete with other women or men; be a support system. Love your neighbour. See the good in people, spread love, not hate. We are all created differently, for different purposes.
