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The family of billionaire businessman Razaq Okoya has disputed claims by Fatai Okoya that he is the industrialist’s first child, insisting that he is his third child and has received financial and other support from his father over the years.
The family made its position known in a statement signed by Nathaniel Omeninwan, Senior Public Relations Manager of Eleganza Industries Ltd, following Fatai’s public appeal for reconciliation with his father after about four decades of estrangement.
Fatai had spoken about his desire to rebuild his relationship with Okoya, describing their prolonged separation as painful. He also alleged that Shade Okoya, his father’s wife, prevented him from meeting the industrialist during his birthday celebration.
However, the family rejected his account, describing the allegations as inaccurate and arguing that private family matters should not have been brought into the public domain.
Family Reveals Flats, Medical Support
According to the statement, Fatai has benefited from his father’s financial assistance despite their strained relationship.
The family said Okoya provided him with four flats in Ogunlana, Surulere, Lagos, and had also paid his medical bills on different occasions.
“The Okoya family finds it regrettable that Fatai Okoya (who is in fact the third child of Aare Rasaq Okoya, CON) has dragged what are otherwise private family matters into the public domain to attract public sympathy, gain attention and unjustifiably discredit other family members,” the statement said.
It added that Fatai’s estrangement from his father began before Okoya married Shade.
“Fatai Okoya fell out with his father and stopped visiting him long before his father married Chief Mrs Shade Okoya, MON,” the family stated.
The statement further quoted Okoya as having publicly maintained that his children must respect and abide by his wishes.
It said Fatai had continued to benefit from his father’s support, including accommodation and assistance with healthcare expenses.
Family Says Reconciliation Was Attempted
The family also disclosed that four influential friends became involved in the disagreement more than 40 years ago in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
According to the statement, the friends held an all-night meeting to find a solution to the family disagreement.
The family said the intervention resulted in a decision that Okoya should meet Fatai’s requests, adding that the arrangement was subsequently carried out.
It maintained that the businessman had continued to support family members, including those who had established businesses independently.
The statement argued that such assistance should be acknowledged when discussing the relationship between Okoya and his children.
However, it did not provide further details about the specific requests made during the earlier intervention or the full circumstances surrounding the long-running disagreement.
Family Counters Shade Okoya Allegation
The statement also addressed Fatai’s claim that Shade Okoya prevented him from seeing his father during the industrialist’s birthday celebration.
According to the family, Fatai attended a medical outreach organised as part of Okoya’s 86th birthday activities, during which Shade was introduced to him.
The family said a relative subsequently advised Fatai that the outreach was not an appropriate setting to discuss his grievances with his father.
It claimed that Fatai accepted the advice and left the venue.
“Other than exchanging pleasantries with him, Chief Mrs Shade Okoya, MON, said nothing to him that day, and several guests witnessed the entire incident,” the statement said.
The family therefore disputed the suggestion that Shade had stopped Fatai from meeting the industrialist, maintaining that the encounter did not happen as he had described.
Okoya Family Appeals for Privacy
The family expressed disappointment that the disagreement had become a subject of public discussion, urging the media and members of the public to respect their privacy.
It described Okoya and his wife as private citizens focused on their family, charitable activities and businesses.
The statement added that Shade respected her husband and his wishes, insisting that the family did not intend to use social media to resolve personal disagreements.
“No misunderstanding can be settled online,” the family said.
The statement comes amid renewed public attention on Fatai’s appeal to reconcile with his father. While Fatai has described the separation as painful, the family’s response centres on its account of the estrangement and the assistance it says he has received.
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