"Femi
Otedola Has Denied Me Access To Our Daughter, Christy, For 24 Years"
Zenon
Oil Boss' EX-Lover, Yinka Odukoya Cries Out
"We
Took Oath To Get Married But His Mum Stood In Our Way"
"They
Could Have Told My Daughter Her Mum Is Dead!"
If you are a mother, what you are
about to read would touch you. Olayinka Odukoya
was only 21 year old when she was put in the family way by her lover,
Olufemi Otedola exactly 26 years ago. But due to the allegation
that Femi’s mum stood against their relationship, Olayinka could
not marry Femi who she described as the love of her life.
However, she
carried her pregnancy for 9 months and also went through the
painful experience of childbirth to bring forth the fruit of her dalliance with
Femi. But she was only allowed to take care of her lovely daughter named
Christy for only 2 years before the toddler was taken away from her by
the father’s family. It is now 24 years down the line but Olayinka has
not been allowed to see her daughter who is now 26 years and lives
abroad. Though, she comes to Nigeria from time to time but each time she
does, Olayinka claims she is always denied access to her. All efforts
she has made with her family members to be allowed access to the young lady
have so far proved abortive.
In this
exclusive interview with Different Stroke
Media at her mum's residence
in Epe, Lagos State, South-West, Nigeria, Olayinka reveals all
that have transpired between her and Femi in respect of Christy. You can't stop
until you have read the last line.
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 own
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
some where 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 who happened to be
Femi’s father’s friend and the contractor working on Femi’s
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 counselling 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 about 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, may be 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.
And 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.
And 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 belong 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.
And 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 2 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 her mum is dead!
Note:
Yinka Odukoya's mum, Mrs Iyabo Odukoya, a retired Head Mistress, in a separate
interview, corroborated everything her daugter said.
