Nigerian content creator and social media manager Olamide has rejected a Lagos spa’s alleged demand for a public apology over her account of an unpleasant experience during a promotional collaboration.
In a detailed video, Olamide explained that she had approached New Image Makeover Spa in Ikeja after seeing an advertisement. The spa subsequently invited her for a creator collaboration.
She claims the business later recorded and shared footage of her without her clear consent. However, she says the spa is now demanding that she withdraw her allegations and publicly admit that she lied. 
Olamide has refused, insisting that her account reflects what happened. She is also seeking free legal assistance because she cannot afford to hire a lawyer.
Olamide Explains What Happened During Spa Session in Lagos
According to messages she shared, the collaboration involved a complimentary treatment in exchange for promoting the experience to her audience. She was also expected to receive a discount code for her followers.
Olamide said the session took place on October 21. She claimed staff began recording her despite the original agreement, but initially chose to overlook it. However, she said the situation changed when a male staff member entered the treatment room to film her.
Olamide recalled that she was half-naked at the time and immediately objected to his presence. She said they exchanged words before he eventually left. The content creator explained that her experience of sexual harassment made the incident particularly distressing. She said she felt vulnerable and emotionally unsettled, making it difficult to continue with the treatment.
She added that she paid for the service she received. She also requested that the spa delete the footage and refrain from publishing it.
Content Creator Alleges Lagos Spa Posted Video Without Clear Consent
Olamide said she attempted to resolve the matter privately on October 22. She asked the business to delete the footage and provide written confirmation that it would not publish the recordings.
According to her, she received neither confirmation nor evidence that the videos had been deleted. She subsequently released a video criticising the spa on October 23. Four days later, on October 27, she received a solicitor’s letter.
In the letter, the spa allegedly demanded that she remove her video, issue a public apology and sign a written apology. Olamide said the letter also required her to declare that her allegations were untrue and that the spa had not violated her dignity, privacy or bodily autonomy.
She has rejected the demands, maintaining that she will not apologise for describing an experience she says genuinely happened. Olamide shared her account and the video in a post on X, where she also appealed for legal support.
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What Nigerian Law Says About Privacy and Personal Data
Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria guarantees and protects citizens’ privacy, including the privacy of their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications.
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 also regulates how organisations collect, use, store and share personal data. Identifiable photographs and videos can qualify as personal data under the law.
Businesses processing such information must have a lawful basis for doing so and comply with the Act’s requirements. Consent is one possible lawful basis, but it is not the only one.
Where an organisation relies on consent, the Act requires it to be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. Data subjects also have rights concerning their personal information, including the right to request erasure in certain circumstances.
Given the personal nature of spa treatments, questions about privacy, recording and the publication of identifiable footage deserve careful consideration. However, whether the spa breached the law would depend on the circumstances, the basis for processing the footage and other relevant facts.
Legal Support Emerges as Olamide Refuses to Apologise
Olamide’s account has attracted support from people and organisations offering to help her challenge the spa’s demands.
The Foundation for Digital Justice (@DJAfrica) publicly offered her free legal assistance. The organisation said it was ready to defend her rights in the digital space. Other social media users directed her to the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender. The government agency provides legal assistance to people who cannot afford private representation.
Meanwhile, New Image Makeover Spa has not issued an official public statement addressing the allegations.
Olamide maintains that she will not apologise or withdraw her account. She is now seeking legal support to respond to the solicitor’s letter and pursue the privacy concerns she has raised.
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Story written by Oluwagbohunmi Bajela, edited by Sola Sanusi.
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