Okoya’s Son Seeks Forgiveness After 40-Year Separation

Fatai Okoya, who identifies himself as the first child of Nigerian industrialist Razaq Okoya, has publicly appealed to his father to forgive him and give their strained relationship another chance after about 40 years of separation.

Fatai made the appeal during a TikTok Live session with blogger Yeye Kudi Court Room, recounting the circumstances surrounding their estrangement and his repeated attempts to restore their relationship.

He attributed the disagreement partly to an incident in which he took money from his father’s company when he was younger. He also said his decision to marry a woman his father reportedly disapproved of contributed to the rift.

Fatai argued that the incident involving the money did not warrant decades of separation, maintaining that he had been young and less responsible at the time. He expressed regret over the past and said he wanted an opportunity to make peace with his father.

“I have tried to make peace for 40 years,” he said, describing the emotional burden of their prolonged estrangement.

He also recounted an alleged encounter at his father’s 86th birthday celebration, where he said he was initially welcomed but later prevented from approaching the businessman. According to Fatai, he was told that his father needed to be informed before he could see him, but no meeting took place.

He maintained that his appeal was not motivated by financial considerations but by a genuine desire to rebuild their father-and-son relationship. He said previous attempts to reach his father through friends and intermediaries had been unsuccessful.

During the session, Fatai’s daughter, identified as Zee, also appealed for reconciliation, saying she had never had a relationship with her grandfather and hoped to help reunite the family.

The session’s host called on people close to Razaq Okoya, particularly businessman Chief Kesington Adebutu, popularly known as Baba Ijebu, to intervene and help facilitate a reunion.

In renewing his appeal, Fatai asked his father to look beyond his past mistakes and embrace him again, stressing that they could still rebuild their relationship despite the years they had lost.

Razaq Okoya is the founder of Eleganza Group, a Nigerian manufacturing conglomerate known for its household and consumer products. The industrialist’s family has attracted public attention over the years, although the circumstances surrounding Fatai’s reported estrangement have not been independently established.