Femi Otedola: 5 Controversies You Should Know

Nigerian billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola is known for his immense wealth and business acumen, but his success has not come without controversy. Whether you admire him or question his actions, there’s no denying that Otedola has lived a colorful and eventful life, and his controversies have been a significant part of that story.

Let’s delve into the five most notable controversies surrounding this enigmatic figure.

Impregnated Olayinka Odukoya twice

Otedola reportedly had an affair with Olayinka Odukoya, the mother of Otedola’s first daughter, Tolani. In an interview with newsmen, Olayinka recounted her ordeal with Otedola. She said, “I just finished secondary school at that time and I was even working when he approached me for a relationship. I accepted his advances and somewhere along the line, I realised that I’d taken in for him.” 

Olayinka who revealed that she met Otedola through her friend said, “I was about 21 years at that time and it was at that point that we started sleeping together and I got pregnant for him. And he accepted it. But in the long run, I realised that he didn’t tell his parents at home that he had put a lady in the family way.”

She also noted that she wanted to abort the baby, but her parents were against the idea. They counselled her to keep the baby, which she did. According to her, she got pregnant for Otedola again when she went to catering school. “I went to Catering school and it was while I was there that I got pregnant for him again. I had a forced labour when the pregnancy got into the 7th month. In fact, I almost lost my life during the delivery. It was the placenta that came out first before the dead baby came out with the buttocks first, instead of the head.”

Denied Olayinka access to Tolani

Newsmen gathered that Olayinka, mother to Otedola’s first daughter, Christy (Tolani) was denied access to her daughter since she was two years old. Olayinka said since she took Christy to Otedola’s family to start Kindergarten, they have refused to allow her to see Tolani. She said, “There was even a festive period when my younger siblings went to their house to ask them to allow my daughter to come and spend some time with us, but the mum refused.”

Olayinka once revealed that she went to the house, but as soon as the mum saw her, she took her daughter inside and locked her up. She also noted that Otedola has been avoiding her. Recounting one of her experiences at his office, she said, “There was even a day I went to his Zenon House in Victoria Island. He saw me face to face as he was driving in because I was standing at the gate. And when he got out of the vehicle, he looked back at me and I said “Femi, you are the one I have come to see”. But he rushed into the office and never came out till I left.”  

Lady Doja’s influence on Otedola’s marriage

Lady Doja Otedola, Femi’s mother, reportedly influenced his marital choice. Reports suggest that Otedola who was a trader at Iponri Shopping Complex was in love with Olayinka, but his mother vehemently kicked against the relationship. Olayinka who disclosed this to newsmen said, “His mum became extremely hostile to me, telling her son that he saw girls from rich backgrounds, but he didn’t go to them…Why would he go for someone from a humble background like me?” 

Oyetola and the Toronto-based sisters

Two Toronto-based sisters, Jyoti and Kiran Matharo had in December 2016, tried to extort Otedola by cyberbullying and blackmail. They claimed they had evidence of Otedola cheating on his wife that they would post on a notorious sex-scandal website. They were later arrested with a laptop that reportedly had a list of names they had blackmailed and videos of them having sex with men.

Alleged Bribe to Boniface Emenalo and Farouk Lawan

Another controversy connected to Otedola is the bribe he allegedly gave to Boniface Emenalo and Farouk Lawan who was then, the Chairman of the House Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime. Reports say Otedola gave him the money to remove the name of his company from the list of firms indicted by Farouq Lawan’s committee for abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.

Emenalo, who testified before Justice Angela Otakula of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Lugbe, Abuja, as the first prosecution witness stated that he collected $100,000 from Otedola, in order to expose the oil magnate’s attempt to bribe the committee and its Chairman, Farouk Lawan.  To corroborate his claims,  newsmen reported that a witness presented a video of Otedola giving bribes to Farouk emerged online.