SPONSOR AD
It’s true that the rich also cry! He might be showing whiff of money and wealth in town but the oil and gas magnate,
Femi Otedola
past is already haunting him like shadow. The former Lagos State
governor’s son, Michael Otedola, Femi is having a serious issue with his
26 year-old love child mama, Olayinka Odukoya. The child at the centre
of this mumbo-jumbo, Christie is said to be a split image of Femi, the
Forte Oil boss.
Then loved-up Femi, we learnt, had put Olayinka in
a family way when he was selling stationeries at Iponri area of Lagos,
and the result of that effort was 26 years old, Christie, the first from
his loin but his mum did not only show disapproval, she condemned their
dalliance: she sent the poor baby mother away and took the baby to her
custody.
In
spite of Femi’s mother’s rejection, the arrow of love hit Femi again
and he found himself in the arms of Olayinka, who second time around got
pregnant for the Femi who has since married delectable, Nana Otedola,
the Managing Director, Garment Care and blessed with children. As fate
would have it, she lost the pregnancy seven months after. Since then,
their paths never crossed, Olayinka was shut away from her only child,
and her world became empty. She became lonesome, afraid of men, afraid
to love again. Now she’s on a search for her long-lost daughter, her
treasure, Christy.
Below is the interesting story as said by the
mother of the first daughter of Femi, the former Zenom oil boss with
pictures to prove, the emotional distressed mother provides insight into
what went wrong with the romance, how Mr Otedola and his parents
hoodwinked her into parting with her child and other intimate details in
this interview…Enjoy.
For the purpose of this interview, can i have your full names?
I’ am Olayinka Odukoya.
What kind of relationship existed between you and Mr. Femi Otedola?
We used to have a love affair.
Was the love affair one that your parents knew about? I mean your own parents and his parents?
What
happened was that I just finished from secondary school at that time
and I was even working when he approached me for a relationship. I
accepted his advances and somewhere along the line, I realised that I’d
taken in for him. And this was a time I was just offered an admission
into the School of Nursing in Ikoyi; I was only waiting to go for
pre-registration interview before I realised I was pregnant. And at that
point in time, there was a man, Mr. Tobun father’s house at
Odo-Irangusi.
It was through my friend that was dating the
contractor that I met Femi. And he promised me heaven and earth. As a
matter of fact, we both sworn to an oath with the Holy Bible never to
leave each other. I was about 21 years at that time and it was at that
point that we started sleeping together and I got pregnant for him. And
he accepted it. But in the long run, I realised that he didn’t tell his
parents at home that he had put a lady in the family way. It was that
Mr. Tobun that later went to his dad to tell him that his son had
impregnated a young lady in Ijebu. And his mum later called him to probe
him over it after the dad complained to her.
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO EVIDENCE…

But he lied to his mum initially that he did not impregnate anybody.
Meanwhile, I used to go to their house regularly before then to the
extent that all his younger siblings were familiar with me. His mum even
knew me, though she did not know that I was dating her son which was
the real purpose of my frequent visit to their house. She thought I was
only a friend to Femi’s sisters. So, since I took in, I would go to him
to collect money for my upkeep and things like that. As a matter of
fact, I contemplated aborting the pregnancy at a point because I felt it
was affecting the continuation of my education but unfortunately for me
then, an old man overheard me telling a friend about my planned
abortion and the old man went straight to leak it to my mum. So, my mum
came to take me from where I was back home so as to prevent me from
aborting the pregnancy. And my dad too also prevailed on me never to try
aborting the pregnancy with the counseling that it is not only people
that are well educated that make it in life. So, I later went to tell
Femi that my parents were well aware of the pregnancy and he also plead
with me to keep the pregnancy.
What was Mr. Femi Otedola doing then? Was he working or still in school?
He
was a trader at Iponri Shopping Complex selling stationery materials.
And since his dad was running a printing press then, he was also
supplying them materials to work with. And when we realised he was not
showing up at our house like it was expected, my parents said I should
tell him that they wanted to meet his parents and he said no problems.
But when he refused to come with his parents like he promised, a sister
to my mum who was a registrar was even nursing the doubt that I might
not know the real owner of my pregnancy and she attributed her doubt to
the fact that the Otedola’s were well-to-do and very responsible, so
they would not tolerate their son impregnate a girl and not do the right
thing. So, there was a resolve that my mum should follow me to their
house and when we got there, it was Femi himself that opened the gate
for us. And when we met his dad, Baba Otedola, and told him a bout the
pregnancy, he probed Femi over it and he told his dad that he was the
one responsible for it. And the dad said he would have loved his mum to
be at home for the meeting because when he first heard about the issue
and raised it with the mum, Femi vehemently denied knowing anything
about the pregnancy to the extent that the mum was saying any girl that
was claiming to have gotten pregnant for her son should go and take care
of it in her parent’s house. Since her son had said he didn’t
impregnate any girl. But the dad said we should not worry about it and
that he would always send money for my upkeep. And shortly before I
would deliver my baby, the mum came around at the prompting of Baba
Otedola, I guess, she came with Baba Otedola’s elder sister. They said
they were the owners of the pregnancy since it’s their son that was
responsible for it. And when I delivered my baby, a naming ceremony was
organised at their house for my daughter.
So, since everything was cordial to that point, how did the denial of access to your daughter come into play?
Thank
you. That’s exactly what I am about to tell you. After the naming
ceremony, Femi came later to tell me that his mum said he should not
marry me. And I was like if she says that then, maybe you should leave
me alone. But he said he could not do that. Later on, I told him I
wanted to learn Hair Dressing since I could not go to the School of
Nursing any more. But he advised that I should go to a Catering school
instead. So, I went to Catering school and it was while I was there that
I got pregnant for him again. But his mum still stood strongly against
our getting married. Meanwhile, I had a forced labour when the pregnancy
got into the 7th month which I had as a still birth. In fact, I almost
lost my life during the delivery. It was the placenta that came out
first before the dead baby came out buttocks first instead of the head.
My dad later went to meet him that, Femi, so, so, thing happened to me.
Though, he was fully aware that I was pregnant for him again, but he
apparently did not inform his parents. So, it was when my dad went to
their house that his dad too knew about it and challenged him over it.
But in his usual manner, he denied having anything to do with the
pregnancy and I later told him that thank God I did not die in the
course of the forced labour because that is how he would have denied me
in death.
I reminded him of how he lied that he did not know
anything about Christy’s pregnancy before he later accepted to be the
one responsible. And shortly after that was when his mum became
extremely hostile to me, telling his son that he saw girls from rich
background, he didn’t go to them. That, why would he go for someone from
a humble background like me. And it was because Femi told me that his
mum might accept me if we had a second child that I accepted to get
pregnant for him again. But when they said I should bring my daughter
Christy to them when she was a little over 2 years, so that she could
start kindergarten, I left her for them. But ever since then, the mum
would not allow me to see my daughter.
There was even a festive
period that my younger siblings went to their house to ask them to allow
my daughter to come and spend some time with us, the mum refused. And I
later went myself but as soon as the mum saw me, she took my daughter
inside and locked her up. And when all my efforts to see my daughter
became abortive, I later told them that I would always be my daughter’s
mother because they cannot buy another mother for her no matter how much
they prevent me from seeing her. And again, my mum’s younger sister
told me not to worry because when it gets to a point my daughter would
ask for her mum. But when she (Christy) was 15 and was schooling in
Akure, Ondo State, while she lived with her father’s younger brother, I
still made an attempt to go and see her there, yet they prevented me.
And that was the point in time I decided to leave the South-West for the
Northern Part of the country to cool-off. So, I stayed and worked in
the North for some time before I returned few years ago. Meanwhile, I
was already aware that my daughter had been taken abroad for further
studies.
And I even made an attempt to be close to Otedola’s house
but each time I went, Femi’s mum was always like “what do you want?”
And I would tell her that I only came around to say hello and also to
know if you are hearing from my daughter.
But when it got to a
point, I could no longer cope with not seeing my daughter, I sent a
Reverend Father to the mum to beg her for me. And she was like I should
never again in my life send any emissary to beg her again. And about 7
years ago, I told my younger brother that I felt I would need to take
the matter to a relevant government authority to contest my right to see
my daughter for me. But my brother said I should not go that far that
he would go and talk to Femi man to man. Meanwhile, at that point I was
always texting Femi asking about the well-being of my daughter, he would
not reply any of the messages. There was even a day I went to his Zenon
House in Victoria Island. He saw me face to face as he was driving in
because I was standing at the gate. And when he got out of the vehicle,
he looked back at me and I said “Femi, you are the one I have come to
see”. But he rushed into the office and never came out till I left. I
got there around 8am and left at 12 noon. I later dropped a note for him
with his security guys stating that I did not come to fight him but to
see him and ask after my daughter. The number that my younger brother
had was no longer going through, so, he got another number of his from
me which he called without any one picking it. And he decided to send
him a text that why would he not allow his sister to see her daughter.
And that he should redress the situation since the child belongs to him
and his sister.
But by the second or third day, he called his mum
to go and warn Felix, that is my brother, that he was threatening his
life. And the mum went straight to my dad’s house to fight him. That he
should warn his son who was threatening the life of her son. My dad
called my younger brother from Ijebu immediately asking why my
brother
would wade into the matter. And when my brother went to Ijebu some time
later, he told anyone that cared to listen to go and tell Femi’s mum
that he had come to town and that she should come and arrest him, maybe
the Police would be able to resolve the matter once and for all. But
after spending 3 days without seeing anyone come to arrest him, he
returned to Lagos.
So what happened after then?
We
decided to give them some time again before raising issues over the
matter. In fact, at a point, I decided to go to Human Rights Advocacy
Groups and I was already in Ikeja with pictures before my brother called
me and plead that I should not do anything like that. Because no two
opposing parties in a court case return as friends.
He said he
believed dialogue could still do it. Meanwhile, I had gone to the
monarch in our town, Kabiyesi Odu-Iragusi, to plead with them for me but
they still turned deaf ears. I even went to one Tejuosho’s son who is
Femi’s friend in Ilupeju, Lagos, to discuss the matter with him. But
still nothing changed. My brother even went to the Kabiyesi over the
matter for the second time, yet they did not yield to my request to see
my daughter. So, about 5 years ago, Femi’s mum told me that I should not
worry that as soon as my daughter was through with her Masters Degree, I
would be allowed to see her. And after Christy finished her master’s,
it was Femi’s mum that called to tell me about it and asked if I was
coming to Ijebu for Xmas to which I said yes. And she said she would
make sure that I see my daughter. But as I speak to you my brother, I
have still not set my eyes on my daughter.
Interestingly enough,
during the last subsidy removal crises, I was just leaving Irangusi for
Omu, when one of my younger brothers called me that he just sighted my
daughter in town. And I took a bike with N1,500 that day to return to
Iragusi, a journey that was not supposed to be more than N300.00. But
when I almost got to Otedola’s house, I caught a glimpse of my daughter
being chauffeur-driven out and I was trying to wave down the vehicle but
she did not see me.
How long ago is it now that you had a contact with your daughter last?
I have not had any contact with her since they took her from me when she was a little over 2 years old.
Do you have any idea of what she is doing abroad now?
I think she is now working there. Because Femi’s mum once told me something like that.
And you have not spoken with Mr. Femi Otedola too?
Yes.
I have not spoken with him ever since. Even when his dad celebrated his
birthday last year and I went there, he avoided me all through. Even,
his older brother who I spoke with and told that they have not allowed
me to see my daughter for years could not believe it because the brother
just returned to Nigeria from abroad. And he promised to do something
about. Yet, nothing has happened.
Are you married to someone else as we speak?
Not
really. I only had an affair with a man for whom I also have a
daughter, Eniola. But I could not bring myself to marry him because
Femi’s experience has made me to be scared of men.
So, what exactly do you want from Mr. Femi Otedola?
All I want is access to my daughter and the full rights to be a mother to her. Because they could have told her mum i