Fatai Kayode Okoya, the first son of Nigerian billionaire industrialist, Alhaji Razaq Akanni Okoya, has publicly appealed to his father to forgive him and reconcile with him after an alleged 30-year estrangement, saying he wants the family feud settled once and for all.
Fatai, who described himself as having shared a close relationship with his father while growing up, said he had made several attempts to reach the billionaire businessman but was often prevented from getting close to him.
He also recounted an incident at his father’s 86th birthday celebration on January 12, 2026, stating that he was prevented from approaching his father by the industrialist’s wife, Alhaja Shade Okoya, despite being invited to the event.
He also recounted an incident at his father’s 86th birthday celebration on January 12, 2026, stating that he was prevented from approaching his father by the industrialist’s wife, Alhaja Shade Okoya, despite being invited to the event.
Speaking during a TikTok Live session on Sunday, Fatai appealed to his father to draw on his experience and wisdom as an elder to reunite the family, expressing regret over the circumstances that had led to their prolonged estrangement.
“I’m begging my father. To err is human, to forgive is divine. He should please overlook all my behaviour then as a child. He should please see that I, too, am a grown man. He should use his elderly wisdom to embrace us and bring us back to the family so that the issue can be settled once and for all,” he said.
He added that reconciliation would allow both of them to rebuild their relationship and become stronger as a family.
“So that the two of us can be strong and better than before,” Fatai said.
When asked whether he had sincerely attempted to apologise to his father and whether there was a particular reason the disagreement had remained unresolved for about three decades, Fatai said he had repeatedly tried to reach him but faced difficulties gaining access to him.
“I have tried very much to get in touch with my father, Alhaji Chief Dr. Razaq Akanni Okoya, on many occasions, but most of the time I was not allowed to get close to him,” he said.
According to him, he often chose to stay away to prevent further misunderstandings or confrontations.
Fatai said he also relied on intermediaries, including two of his father’s associates, Chief I. S. Adewale and Chief Mogaji Okoya Thomas, who he said tried to help resolve the disagreement.
“They did their best to make sure that this matter was in order. But everything, only for some while, everything just went haywire,” he said.
Our Grandmother Was Not Happy About The Rift
Fatai also recalled the role his grandmother played during the period of estrangement, describing her as a strong emotional support who was unhappy about the breakdown in the relationship between him and his father.
According to him, his grandmother tried to caution her son about the implications of allowing a disagreement with his first child to persist.
“Our grandmother, that was my angel in those days. She was not happy with the way things were going,” he said.
He recounted what he said was his grandmother’s warning to his father over the prolonged disagreement.
“And if I may tell you, our grandmother told our father, my father, that, ‘When you are doing this kind of a thing to your son, by having a misunderstanding with him, what are you going to do to your brothers and sisters when I am gone?’”
Fatai said his grandmother was deeply concerned about the situation but had to be cautious in how she intervened because of the possibility of upsetting her son.
“So she was not happy with the way things were going. But you know, there’s a limit to what she can say in this matter, because if she talks too much, our father might not be happy.
“So that was why she had to lie low,” he said.
Despite the tension, Fatai said his grandmother never forgot him and continued to show him affection.
He explained that she left things for him and often acknowledged his position as the first child in the family.
“But even though our grandmother still went away, she never forgot me, because she left things for me. She left things, and she always said, you know, that I am the first child,” he said.
Fatai also recalled spending time at his grandmother’s residence, which the family called “Iya Boy’s Quarter,” where he and other family members used to play as children.
“When she was alive, it was in her place, we used to call it Iya Boy’s Quarter, that we used to go and play.
“So everything, you know, she really drew us near. But all this matter, I don’t know how it got out of hand to this stage,” he said.
My Father Saw Me At His 86th Birthday, But I Was Turned Back
Fatai said the last time he saw his father was on January 12, 2026, when the billionaire businessman celebrated his 86th birthday at Oluwanishola (his Lekki estate).
He said he attended the celebration as an invited guest because he believed his father’s birthday was an appropriate occasion to make an effort to reconnect with him.
“I went there as one of the invitees for the birthday, because I felt it was my father’s birthday, so I ought to go there,” he said.
According to him, he received a VIP welcome and was seated in the front section of the venue.
He said his aunt, Wosila, his father’s sister, approached him and took him to his seat.
Fatai said his aunt informed him that his father had already been told about his presence and encouraged him not to worry.
“I was given a VIP welcome. I sat in front and everything. And my father’s sister, my auntie Wosila, came to meet me where I sat down. She was the one that took me to where I sat down.
“And she said they had already informed my father that I was around, you know, that I should not worry,” he said.
Fatai said he asked his aunt to communicate his peaceful intentions to his father.
“I told them I came in peace, so they should please help me tell my father that I was around,” he said.
However, he explained that when his father arrived, security personnel and other individuals around the stage prevented him from approaching the industrialist.
He said he waited for his father to move onto the stage before attempting to greet him but was stopped by his father’s wife, Alhaja Shade Okoya.
“So when my father was coming, there were bodyguards everywhere. But I waited for him to go upstage before I went to try and greet him.
“But when I tried to go to the stage, I was turned back by his wife, Alhaja Shade Okoya. I was turned back by her, that I cannot go and see my father like that, that they have to inform him before I go and see him,” Fatai said.
He claimed that he subsequently returned to his seat without speaking to his father.
Asked whether his father saw him or made eye contact with him during the incident, Fatai insisted that the industrialist recognised him.
“He saw me and he knew it was me, but Alhaja Chief Shade had already made the decision that I should turn back,” he said.
Fatai further stated that his father remained silent and did not intervene after his wife instructed him to return to his seat.
“So my father, you know, he couldn’t say much. He couldn’t say things that Alhaja Chief Shade had already thought. He kept quiet. As if Alhaja Shade was in control,” he said.
Wife Also Recounts What Happened At The Birthday Celebration
During the interview, Fatai’s wife also offered her account of the incident, saying her husband was not allowed to approach his father despite assurances that the industrialist had been informed of his presence.
She said security personnel were positioned on both sides of the stage and that the couple waited for several hours without receiving any indication that Fatai would be allowed to see his father.
According to her, Wosila had told her husband that the family had already informed the industrialist, whom she referred to as Grandpa, that he was present at the event.
She also explained that Fatai was known within the family by the name “Oscar.”
She said the couple remained at the venue until after 5pm, hoping that the situation would change.
However, when nothing happened, Fatai decided that they should leave.
Her account supported Fatai’s claim that he attended the birthday celebration hoping to reconnect with his father but left without meeting him.
She also noted that Shade Okoya did not approach her husband while he was seated at the event.
My Father Initially Opposed My Marriage
When asked whether he had done anything that could explain why his father had allegedly refused to forgive him, Fatai identified his father’s initial opposition to his marriage as one of the issues that contributed to the disagreement.
He said his father had advised him against marrying the woman he eventually chose, but he went ahead with the marriage.
“Initially, my dad said I should not marry the wife that I married earlier, but I married her. You know, youth, and for those of us who have stayed abroad, the love is already deep. I think that is where I fell into her trap,” he said.
He also referred to other minor disagreements connected to the industry he was managing.
According to him, allegations of financial misconduct also contributed to the problems, although he denied embezzling money.
“I did not embezzle money. Because if I embezzled money, I would build houses and buy an aeroplane,” he said.
He said that even if there had been questions about money he used during the period, he did not use it to acquire luxury assets.
“But if they said I embezzled money, it is a small money that I used to feed myself, not that I used it to buy a car,” he said.
We Were Very Close When I Was Growing Up
Despite the prolonged estrangement he described, Fatai said his relationship with his father had once been exceptionally close.
He recalled that, as a child, he would wear his father’s clothes and shoes and accompany him on trips to different countries, where the industrialist taught him about business and the industrial sector.
Fatai listed Italy, Spain, and UK among the places where he said he travelled with his father.
“Everywhere we were going, in Italy, in Spain, in Rome, in London, we were always together. He was always holding me to show me how things were done. I was always with him. Always,” he said.
He described his father as a mentor who guided him in understanding the business world and helped him navigate life as the eldest son.
“He always helped me as his first child. And he was guiding me and showing me all the ways things were being done in the industrial world,” Fatai said.
He expressed surprise that their once-close relationship had deteriorated to the point where he now finds it difficult to approach his father.
“So at the end of it, I was just surprised that this kind of a thing could happen,” he said.
Appeal For Family Reconciliation
Fatai’s appeal centres on his desire for his father to forgive the mistakes he said he made when he was younger and to allow them to rebuild their relationship.
He urged the industrialist to put aside their differences and use his position as the family patriarch to restore peace.
“I’m begging my father, to err is human, to forgive is divine. He should please overlook all my behaviour then as a child. He should please see that I, too, am a grown man. He should use his elderly wisdom to embrace us and bring us back to the family so that the issue can be settled once and for all,” he said.
He maintained that he wanted the dispute resolved so that they could move forward together rather than allow the disagreement to continue.
