Fatai Okoya reveals why he fell out with his billionaire father, claims Shade blocked their reunion at his birthday party.

• Fatai Okoya says his decision to marry a woman his father disapproved of contributed to their estrangement.

• He admits taking money from his father’s company when he was younger but disputes that the amount was substantial.

• He alleges Shade Okoya stopped him from meeting his father at the billionaire’s 86th birthday celebration.

Pulse had earlier reported on Fatai Okoya’s emotional open letter to billionaire industrialist Razaq Okoya, in which he apologised to his father and asked for a chance to rebuild their relationship after decades apart.

At the time, he did not explain how their relationship had broken down.

Now, Fatai, who identifies himself as the Eleganza Group founder’s first child, is telling his side of the story.

In a live interview with Yeye Kudi Court Room, he revealed why he fell out with his father and how his father’s second wife, Shade Okoya, blocked what could have been their reunion at his 86th birthday party. 

He recalled that they were once close and described himself as his father’s favourite son. He said he would wear his father’s clothes, a memory he shared to illustrate how affectionate their relationship had been before the disagreement.

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Fatai said his marriage choice was one of the issues that angered his father. He explained that he was young and in love when he decided to marry someone his father did not approve of, ending what he described as a close father-son relationship.

He also discussed a disagreement over money he took from his father’s company. Fatai acknowledged taking some money for himself when he was younger and reckless but maintained that it was not a large sum that can't even buy a car. 

He highlighted his grandmother’s intervention and how there was little she could do to avoid offending the billionaire industrialist. He did not disclose the amount or give further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

His account offers a possible explanation for the estrangement, which he did not explain in the open letter that first drew public attention to his appeal for reconciliation.

In that letter, Fatai apologised to his father and asked for an opportunity to rebuild their relationship. He said the years apart had weighed on him and that he wanted to make peace while they still had time.

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Fatai also alleged that an attempt to reconnect with his father at Razaq Okoya’s 86th birthday celebration did not go as he had hoped.

According to the account of his live interview, Fatai said he attended the celebration and was welcomed, but when he approached his father, Shade Okoya intervened and told him he could not see her husband.

Fatai claimed his father saw him but did not speak to him before he was sent away. He said he had wanted to spend time with his father rather than seek money or an inheritance.

Neither Shade Okoya nor Razaq Okoya had publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of this report. The account of the encounter has not been independently verified.

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Fatai said the prolonged estrangement has also affected the next generation of the family. He expressed sadness that his children had not had a relationship with their grandfather.

His daughter, who was identified as Zee during the live session, also reportedly said she had no relationship with her grandfather, Razaq Okoya, and that attempts to reach him had been blocked.

She said she wanted to help her father make peace with his own father, whom she believed he missed after so many years apart.

Razaq Okoya’s brother, who was reportedly present during the live session, also weighed in on the dispute. He criticised the alleged intervention that prevented Fatai from seeing his father and said the situation should have been handled differently.

The interview host appealed to people who know the industrialist, including businessman and philanthropist Oloye Adebutu, popularly known as Baba Ijebu, to help facilitate a reconciliation.

Fatai renewed his apology and asked for an opportunity to see his father.