Okoya Still Backs Estranged Son, Fatai, Says Family, Rejects Claim Shade Blocked Reunion
The family of billionaire industrialist, Razaq Okoya has pushed back against public claims by his estranged son, Fatai Okoya, insisting that the 66-year-old continues to receive financial support from his father. The family also denied that the businessman’s wife, Shade Okoya, kept the two men apart.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, the family said it regretted that Fatai had taken what it called private family matters into the public domain to win sympathy and discredit other relatives. It also disputed his claim to be the firstborn, saying he is in fact the third child of the Eleganza Group founder.
Fatai had recently published an open letter appealing for forgiveness and a chance to rebuild his relationship with his father after about 40 years of estrangement. He traced the rift to a disagreement over money and to his marriage, which his father did not approve of.
He later alleged that at the industrialist’s 86th birthday event, Shade turned him back as relatives tried to arrange a meeting, saying he could not see his father until the family had been notified. He said he was not seeking money or an inheritance.
The family gave a different account. It said Shade only exchanged pleasantries with Fatai and said nothing else to him, and that several guests witnessed the encounter.
According to the statement, another relative advised Fatai that the occasion was not the right time or place to air his grievances with his father, and he accepted the advice and left. The family also said the estrangement began long before Okoya married Shade, and that Fatai was given four flats in the Ogunlana area of Surulere, Lagos, and was occasionally helped with medical bills.
It added that the businessman has always supported every member of the family.
The family urged the public and the media to respect its privacy and said such disagreements should be settled privately rather than on social media. Neither the businessman nor Shade had publicly addressed Fatai’s allegations before the family’s statement.
