Social media personality Albert Nat Hyde, known as Bongo Ideas, has revealed that he did not take any commissions from influencers he helped generate substantial income from promotions with 1XBET.
Despite his significant role in their success, Bongo Ideas emphasized his selfless approach in supporting other influencers.
In a recent post dated July 19, 2024, Bongo Ideas detailed his contributions to the influencer community and the personal and professional challenges he currently faces:
“At the time of my kidnapping, I was making approximately $3,000 every three months from 1XBET, and the two-year contract [2022-2024] we had was almost going to be extended. After my items were illegally confiscated by my abductors, and my Twitter logins forcibly changed, I have lost all that and more.”
He highlighted the substantial earnings he facilitated for other influencers:
“I gave similar opportunities to several influencers on Twitter, Facebook, IG, and Snapchat. At the time, each influencer I put on was making at least GHC 6,000 from 1XBET for promoting the brand. I took no commissions!”
Bongo Ideas expressed his commitment to supporting fellow influencers without seeking personal financial gain:
“I was working with brands, had ongoing contracts with deadlines to meet, and several thousands of cedis to be collected, which never came to me. Today, I am at loose ends. My Gmail, iCloud, iPhone, MacBook, and other vital documents remain under lock and key by people I do not know—supposedly state-sponsored machinery!”
He shared his frustration over the loss of income and opportunities:
“In a country where there are no opportunities for the youths, not only has my source of income been curtailed, but also my safety and security have been jeopardized. My voice, which was the voice of several thousands of teeming yet disgruntled Ghanaians, has been radically silenced.”
Bongo Ideas lamented the broader implications for freedom of speech in Ghana:
“In the face of bad leadership which has left many citizens impoverished, we can’t speak! Ghana, which touts itself as the epicentre of democracy on the continent, now has the majority of its citizens cowered into perpetual muteness. We are neither citizens nor spectators; we are just not involved!”
Referencing prominent critics of the Ghanaian government, he remarked: “Kevin Taylor and Twene Jonas cannot dare visit Ghana; other harsh critics of the system are targeted, vilified, and their characters assassinated [literally & figuratively]. Whether I was the architect of my own downfall or not, this is not the Ghana you and I want to continue to live in. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, ‘The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of the bad people. But because of the silence of the good people.'”
The alleged arrest of Albert Nat Hyde, also known as Bongo Ideas, reportedly occurred in two phases earlier this year. Reports first emerged in March, indicating his detention by security agencies.
Barker-Vormawor, convener of Fix The Country, suggested that the arrest was linked to information Bongo Ideas had released regarding President Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo. Despite searches by his family in various police stations across Accra, they were unable to locate him.
Subsequent reports indicated that Bongo Ideas had returned home, only to be arrested again on March 16.
Barker-Vormawor outlined the circumstances of this second apprehension, stating that over ten individuals in two vehicles and motorbikes, claiming to be sent by the IGP, came to pick up Bongo Ideas.