Okoya’s family dismisses estranged son’s claims, cites financial support

By Damilola Akinwale –

The family of billionaire businessman Razaq Okoya has dismissed claims by his estranged son, Fatai Okoya, over their decades-long separation, insisting that he continues to receive financial support from his father.

The family stated this in a statement issued on Thursday by Nathaniel Omeninwan, senior public relations manager of Eleganza Industries Limited, accusing Fatai of taking private family matters into the public domain to attract sympathy and discredit other family members.

Fatai had recently appealed to his father for forgiveness after years of estrangement, recounting a money dispute and his marriage to a woman his father reportedly disapproved of. While Fatai described himself as Okoya’s first child, the family maintained that he was the industrialist’s third child.

The family said Fatai had fallen out with his father and stopped visiting him long before Okoya married his wife, Shade. It, however, maintained that Fatai continued to benefit from his father’s financial support.

“Fatai Okoya has benefited immensely from his father and continues to benefit to date. He lives in, and has been given, four flats by his father in Ogunlana, Surulere, and has at times been receiving payment for his medical bills,” the statement said.

The family also disclosed that four influential family friends intervened in the dispute more than 40 years ago during an overnight meeting, after which Okoya agreed to settle Fatai with what he had requested.

It further disputed Fatai’s account of his encounter with Shade during a medical outreach organised to mark Okoya’s 86th birthday. While Fatai alleged that he was prevented from approaching his father, the family said Shade exchanged pleasantries with him and that another family member advised him to raise his grievances at a more appropriate time. It added that Fatai agreed and left the venue.

The family urged the media and members of the public to respect its privacy, insisting that disagreements should be addressed through established family channels rather than on social media. In his earlier appeal, Fatai had said he wanted his father to forgive him and give their relationship another chance, adding that his daughter also wished to establish a relationship with her grandfather.