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 and the child at the centre of
all this, 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 and sent 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. Now she’s on a
search for her long-lost daughter, Christy.
Below is the interesting story as said
by the mother of the first daughter of Femi, the former Zenom oil boss, 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.
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.
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 b*ttocks 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 is
dead!
Source: GistVillage
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