Olusegun Ayokunle Olumodimu, an Abuja resident, has failed to make a N268,519 balance payment to Crescencio Ferreira, a Lagos State-based fashion designer, for four pairs of custom-made clothes he purchased in December.
Muyiwa Ferreira, the founder of the fashion outfit, told FIJ that Olumodimu started patronising his company in 2016. Olumodimu paused his patronage at some point in 2019.
In December, he returned to make an order from the company. Specifically, he provided four different fabrics with different colours, black, blue, dark brown check and grey pinstriped, to be sewn into nice styles.
READ ALSO: FUOYE Panel Gets Additional 3 Weeks to Present Sexual Harassment Report on VC Fasina
“He made a formal order on December 14, requesting custom-made native wears and scheduling a visit to our Ilupeju store for measurements,” Ferreira told FIJ on February 10.
The customer communicated his high-quality expectations with the fashion company for tailor-made designs to make the clothes align with his taste.
Crescencio Ferreira then issued an invoice of N438,519 on December 17 for the service. To demonstrate his commitment, Olumodimu made a down payment of N170,000 and promised to pay the balance of N268,519 upon delivery.
“His demands were specific, including a preference for gold buttons and matching threads sourced from the United Kingdom. He was extremely particular about details, even going as far as sharing an image of his Apple Watch Ultra 2 in Titanium to communicate the exact shade of black thread he wanted for one of his outfits,” Ferreira added.
“We set our delivery timeline for the third week of January 2025, coinciding with his official trip to Lagos for a training.”
On January 22, all four outfits had been completed. The black and blue textiles were designed with Hausa embroidery, the second black fabric was made with gold buttons, and the grey fabric was made with customised embroidery.
Olumodimu is seen in some video clips recorded at the company’s office trying on the clothes with a smile on his face.
Olusegun Ayokunle Olumodimu trying on one of the outfits.
“Upon review, Olumodimu requested modifications to the embroidery colours, which we accommodated without hesitation. The modifications were done and he was visibly pleased with the craftsmanship, recording videos in excitement,” Ferreira told FIJ.
“To ensure a perfect fit, we suggested some final adjustments to which he agreed. The arrangement was for the finished garments to be sent to him in Abuja.
“But he returned on February 4 to pick up the outfits. In line with our operating policy, my staff insisted that they would only hand over the outfits to him if he paid the balance. He then phoned me to plead, assuring me that he would pay the outstanding sum later that day. We thought we could hold him by his words and we released the clothes.
“Let me also say this. Back in 2018, he abandoned two fabrics (one blue and one green) he left with us in 2018 without giving us any instruction to work on them. We have reminded him on multiple occasions, yet he has not made a decision on what to do with them.”
Since February 4, Olumodimu has refused to pay the balance.
“He has since refused to honour his commitment. He keeps ignoring all follow-up calls and messages but regularly views our Instagram stories,” Ferreira explained.
The company became worried about Olumodimu’s refusal to pay the balance because of a similar incident in the past involving Jide, the customer’s brother and a real estate agent.
Olusegun Ayokunle Olumodimu trying on one of the clothes.
“About six years ago, a similar event transpired with his family. Jide Olumodimu, his brother, commissioned outfits for himself, their father and a brother-in-law for their grandmother’s burial ceremony. The outfits were delivered, but payment was never made. At the time, we chose to overlook the issue out of goodwill. However, history is now repeating itself, and we can no longer tolerate such breaches of trust,” said Ferreira.
READ ALSO: Another Nigerian Wants £9,000 Back from ‘Oluomo of Derby’ Over Failed CoS Deal
“While we cherish our relationships with our customers at Crescencio Ferreira, we also expect the same level of respect and commitment in return. This situation is not just about money, it is about fairness and honouring agreements.”
When asked for the customer’s brother’s phone number, Ferreira said he had lost the contact details but maintained that the customer was aware of the transaction.
FIJ sent a text message to Olumodimu on February 11, but he did not respond. Instead, he contacted Ferreira and promised to pay the balance within a week. He failed to do that.
Olumodimu’s phone number was not connecting when FIJ dialled it at press time. His email address was not found and he had not responded to a text sent to his phone.
The post Olusegun Ayokunle Olumodimu Refuses to Pay Lagos Tailor N268,519 Balance 3 Weeks After Collecting Clothes appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.