Outspoken, vivacious and businesslike in her approach when she met with Kristina Reports Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Godswill Jumbo, at her guesthouse, De-Franca Guest House along King William Dappa Pepple Road, Bonny, Mieinye Dan-Jumbo exuded simplicity, calmness and panache that was unusual for a woman under public scrutiny for insinuations that have gone rife that her place of business was becoming a place where all things bad was happening on the island.
In this interview, she calmly debunks the various insinuations that had gone viral about her guesthouse, highlighting diverse measures she has put in place to check deviant behaviour in and around her business premises, and also assuring of her preparedness to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure young people were safe from drugs, illicit sex and cult-related violence. Enjoy the read:
Kristina Reports: There are insinuations around town that your guest house is harbouring all kind of activities. Some people say there is a prostitution ring involving minors, young girls below 15 years and then that drug peddling happens here and even cult boys sometimes come around and sometimes, they have skirmishes between them and they start shooting and many other things…
Mieinye Dan-Jumbo: No, it is not true. I cannot keep girls here as prostitutes, moreover, minors because I have minors as children and I don’t permit them to come around because I stay here with my children that are minors too. If they are seeing their age mates that are minors too doing something like these they will feel it is the right way to do. So, I will not allow it. For the drug something, I don’t allow them to smoke here. Any time I see anybody that is underage smoking I will go to the person, collect it and quench it off or I will ask the person to quench it off and get out from here because I will not encourage such things in my environment. Moreover, I am from Bonny, I will not open a business and encourage such attitude to spoil the reputation of my kingdom. I can’t do that. For cult boys, I am not a young person that I will join or be a cultist. I am over 40 years and at my age I don’t think I will have cult people as friends. So, how will they come here and hold meetings? They can’t come here to do meetings because I am not their type. They go alongside with their peers. That is where they go. They are all lies. There has never been a gunshot here. The only time I had any issue was on the 1st of October, 2019 when they were having issues in town. I was doing a show that day and people that were attending the show here just heard that “them dey come oh, them dey come oh!” and they got up and started running. They destroyed all my things in the stampede that ensued. So, I stopped anything show here. And if I hear anywhere that they said they are fighting there or they are fighting here, I will close. On the 14th of this February, 2020, I heard that they fought at Tina’s Bar. Somebody from there came and told me, immediately I shut down and told everybody to go that the place is no longer safe. They should go to their houses. And that was it. There has never been a gunshot or fighting in my place.
So, the story that the shooting started from here and spread to Tina’s Bar was not true?
Lies, lies, lies. If you see anybody that was here that night, ask the person. It is all lies. I was the one that asked them to go out from the place that they said they are fighting in Tina’s Bar. I don’t want anything to come and reach here. That was why I closed.
But Tina’s Bar is on the other side of town, almost 10 kilometers from here, so, why would anyone connect what happens there to here?
That is the promise I made to myself that, even the night they kidnapped somebody from Simidia Junction we locked down. Anywhere in this Bonny that I hear that they are doing anything violence I will close.
So, this is more about your own policy to protect your csutomers?
Yes, it is to protect my customers and my business. It is my policy. If I hear that they are fighting at beach I will lock down. If I hear that they are fighting inside town, I will lock. If I hear that they are fighting at New Road (King Perekule Road) I will lock. I will tell them (my customers) that look oh I got an information there is problem at so and so place, please go home, I am locking down. That is my policy.
Now, about the drugs, people who peddle drugs don’t advertise it, they don’t display it; is it not possible that people can come in with the drugs in their pockets or in their bags and then pass it around their customers
That is why I don’t encourage people smoking inside there except cigarette that everybody knows it is cigar, anything outside cigar, you don’t smoke it there.
What about the ones they call off-white, tramadol, and other ones that they drop inside their drinks? You have not witnessed things like that?
God forbid. I have not oh, I have not.
What would you do if you come across situations like that, maybe your customers are drinking and then you walk in and see that it is hard drugs?
I will walk you out at once. I will tell you to stop and go out.
You said there is no prostitution ring here, you don’t harbour girls, let alone minors.
I don’t have any room for that. My rooms are just for people that are coming to lodge. I don’t have and I have never kept any room and say three girls go and stay and when somebody comes I say go and call the person. I don’t do that.
But is it not possible that someone could come to lodge in your guest house and come with a minor?
If I see you coming with a minor, I will tell you it is not right that this girl is a minor. It is not right. Maybe, that is why I don’t have much customers that come to stay in the rooms because I don’t accept it.
Some people say that you used to drive away your customers, could it be related to this?
Yes, they say I am harsh that I talk to people anyhow. There is no way I will talk to you anyhow if did not go against the policy of the place. Like you bringing a minor around or you taking those things that they are smoking that is not cigarette. That is where I get harsh with people. I tell you go out and you try to say one or two things, I enforce it on you by dragging my chair from your buttocks.
We noticed around the guest house that you put notices about adult content and responsible behaviour. What led to that?
It is because as I am telling them with mouth they don’t understand I had to paste it there so that when I come to you to tell you if you don’t hear I show you that look I have notice here. It is either you abide with the rules of this place or you go elsewhere. That is why I pasted all the notices.
So, to the security agencies, the government and the people of Bonny, what is it you want to tell them about your business?
I want to tell them that I don’t do drugs. I have never done that before and will never do it. And I don’t encourage prostitutes or prostitution. It is against even my own beliefs. I want to promise them that I will keep checking. And in line with that I have brought some bouncers here that will be bouncing anything that is not lawful out. I have also employed the services of some security agents who come here at different times to check in case there is any wahala. When the boys or whoever sees them everybody will comport themselves. I want to promise them this day that I will continue doing what is right for the sake of my kingdom, for my children and God Almighty.
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