this interview with TUNDE AJAJA speaks on her son, the
alleged troubles in his marriage and the stance of the father
It was shocking to hear that your son allegedly left his
matrimonial home. Is it true that he’s missing or you know
his whereabouts?
I don’t know where he is. Of the two children that I have,
Olujonwo is my first child and only son. Nobody knows
where he is. People are telling me not to make noise about
it, but he’s been missing since last year and the whole thing
is taking its toll on me as a mother. He wasn’t answering
my call, but now the phone is switched off.
When last did you see him before he allegedly went missing?
I saw him last in September last year and that was in
Abeokuta during the book launch by my cousin. I also saw
him when the father called me for us all to make peace. But,
up till today, nobody knows where he is.
But your son issued a statement on Thursday, saying he
wasn’t missing. That is in sharp contrast with what you are
saying. Why do you insist that he’s missing?
Up till now, he’s still in hiding. The statement that was
released was not by my son. The father could have written it
in his name. He’s still running away from the wife and his
father. They should let him come out to say what he’s going
through but Chief Olusegun Obasanjo doesn’t want the
whole world to know the marriage is not working because of
his big name and status. As I speak to you, he’s still in
hiding. The marriage is no more there. There is no truth in
that statement, and my son can never tell me I’m an
attention-seeking woman. He couldn’t have said that. Ask
those who wrote the story whether they saw him in person
or whether he handed the statement to them directly. If the
marriage is intact, why has my son not been seen since
November 1, 2017, and no one cares about his safety or his
life. If he comes out, people will hear the absolute truth from
him.
Are you close to him, because one would expect you would
be one of the first persons to know?
I can’t say we are very close. You know men like to be on
their own. I would say he’s closer to the father than me
because he lived there. The father brought him back from
England and he started living with him. He read International
Relations in England and he said he preferred to stay there
but his father wanted him to come back. So, on return, he
has been with the father.
When did you hear about his sudden disappearance?
It was from the wife I got the news and that was December
2017. People started calling me to say my son was missing,
because I don’t live with them. I live in Lagos while they live
in Abeokuta, and I said to myself that they had started
again. In fact, it was one of his dad’s wives that alerted me
to the ill-treatment my son was going through and she was
surprised that my son didn’t mention what had been
happening to me. His wife doesn’t call me, but I had to call
her to ask and she told me it was true.
Was that not the first time he would leave his matrimonial
home?
When you spoke with his wife, did she say there was a
quarrel before he left the house?
She would not talk, maybe she sees me as nobody. She
would not want to tell me anything and she doesn’t see me
as a friend. Since they got married, even before then, she
and her husband weren’t calling me, but from what I
gathered, not even from my son because he’s not very close
to me, but when I started asking around, that was when I
knew that there was a huge problem on ground, which I
wasn’t aware of. You know I made a lot of noise before the
wedding. What was the noise about? Implement the
instruction given by the Almighty God.
Were you the one God spoke to or was it a prophet that told
you?
I’m an evangelist but the message given to me was not
made up by me. It was given independently by somebody
who didn’t even know that anything would ever come up.
The prophecy came long before even this lady (his wife)
came on the scene. She was introduced to my son by my
twin brother (Kenny Martins), which is a good thing. My twin
brother is very close to Daddy Kessington Adebutu and
Kenny meant well. He didn’t mean any harm. After the
wedding, people privy to their marriage told me about the
horrible things this girl had been doing to my son. Every little
argument, she would slap the young man, grab his shirt,
insult and humiliate him. When it gets too much, he would
run out of the house and they would start looking for him
everywhere. This woman they married for my son has
completely stripped him of all dignity.
Since you and your son had not been very close, did he
report to anyone?
I understand that the young man reported to the father all
that had been happening, but nothing was done. The
humiliation and threats this man suffers is much. By African
culture, the man is the head of the family. And if you look at
the two fathers, the two of them are polygamous but no wife
controls them. Sir Adebutu is still with the first wife and she
doesn’t give him problems; he manages his family, and
daddy Obasanjo also has wives and not all his wives are
with him, but why is he now forcing my son to stay married
to this lady.
Are you saying it is the former President that is forcing your
son to remain in the marriage?
He is, because that girl threatened that she would deal with
my son. My son has political interest but I learnt she’s
already going round, telling people that my son beats her,
whereas she’s the one slapping him.
Since you don’t live with them, you can’t be sure she said all
those things.
It is verified. That is why I have gone to the police to report.
They should allow this man to come out and tell the whole
world what he’s going through in the hands of this girl. He’s
being treated like a houseboy by this woman; like a slave
that was bought; telling the man she’s the best he could
have and that he could not have any other woman like her. I
told her before she married him that my son doesn’t have
money and that he’s a salary earner, so she wouldn’t place
too much hope or expectation in the name, and that he earns
N100,000 in a month.
Are you sure that is what he earns?
I’m telling you that is what the man pays him, and he hands
over the N100,000 to this lady every month but she said he
had to be giving her N300,000. He said he didn’t have that.
She said she didn’t know she married a poor man and it’s
the name he has, he doesn’t have money. She wants
N300,000 and she doesn’t cook, she doesn’t take care of
her husband. She doesn’t care and she would be threatening
him, which is most disturbing. The young man reports
everything to the father, yet, the man says he should stay
married to the girl. If the relationship is okay, why would a
man be running away from his matrimonial home every
time? Everybody supported the date the wedding held,
except me, not that I didn’t support the wedding, but the day
it held, and that was why I spoke out about it. If you marry a
woman and you find succour, comfort and warmth, will you
be running away?
Since he went missing, allegedly, have you spoken with your
husband, the former President, about the issue?
He’s my ex-husband; that should be noted. We are no longer
together, so I’m his ex-wife. To your question, we talk
occasionally. Even after the wedding, he called me to come.
I didn’t want to go but the spirit of God said I should go. I
met him, and he and my two children apologised to me, so
there could be peace. But there was problem after the
reconciliation. I told daddy Obasanjo to also extend the
reconciliation to his first wife, Iyabo’s mother, but he got
angry. He abused me very well. Daddy Obj has many
women and nobody forces him to live with any of them. No
woman, no matter how troublesome, can force herself on
him. He decides on whom he wants. We are separated but
there is peace between us. We still talk and he’s still close to
members of my family. So, we are not enemies.
Do you have an idea of what your son wants?
The only time I got through to him, God just made it
possible, I told him to let us resolve this issue so people
would not say your mother caused it. He said no, it was a
matter between him and the girl. He said I should just go
and help him beg Chief Adebutu that he was no longer
interested. I told him to do it himself; he said he would not,
because he didn’t want any form of reconciliation with the
lady. He said I should go and beg him. I said what about his
father? He said he had told him he was no longer interested
in the marriage. He said he had told everybody that should
know that he was no longer interested. He said there was a
day he was on a call in the room and his wife came in. She
didn’t know he was on the phone with my twin brother. He
said she started slapping him, accusing him of talking to a
woman. He said my twin brother overheard the altercation.
How can a woman be beating a man?
These allegations are hard to believe.
Thank you. It is hard to believe, but it is true. He said the
mother too used to call him to threaten him. People around
them know these things. This is not marriage. Why should
his father join forces with them? This is not hearsay. I heard
it from people who were privy to it. They even told me that if
I were to hear from my son, I wouldn’t be able to swallow it.
How did you feel when you got this information, especially
since you warned them earlier?
When I heard all these things, I was sick for about three
weeks. I thought to myself that can a human being be
subjected to this kind of dehumanising treatment; stripped
of his dignity? Now, a man who has more than one woman
and cannot tolerate nonsense is forcing his son to stay in a
marriage like that. Every day, it is threat and humiliation;
verbal and physical assault. That was what I was told. I
even asked why he couldn’t beat her back, and I was told
that if he retaliates and she falls down, the story would
change. It must be God that has been restraining him
because if he had reacted to the things she does to him, the
story would not be the same again. She might be in coma
now or in the hospital.
How old is he at the moment?
He’s 34.
Do you think all these things are happening because they
didn’t heed your warning before the marriage?
It wasn’t my warning. It came from God. But I wouldn’t
know; the instruction came from the Almighty God. I didn’t
go to beg for the instruction. I did not go to kneel down in
front of anybody to say I wanted to know about my son. The
instruction came free of charge from the Almighty God.
There were signals and specific instructions that I don’t want
to talk about. But for it not to happen, I was told to pray and
I did. They did not heed the warning.
With this latest development, have you and Chief Obasanjo
sat down to discuss how to locate him?
What do I want to discuss with this man? He sees himself
as alpha and omega; you can’t talk to him. All he wants is
for the young man to obey him, by staying in the marriage. If
not, why would a man be calling people not to give him
financial or business assistance?
Are you sure he did that?
Yes, he did. He said he would ensure that my son suffers if
he does not stay in the marriage.
But you said you still see and talk occasionally.
I don’t feel like talking to him, because he and these two
people have an agenda.
What, in your view, is their agenda?
The agenda is to turn my son into a slowpoke, because I
really don’t know why a man would welcome into his family
a woman that has been devaluing his son, showing
complete disrespect to his family. He’s supposed to caution
this woman. No woman controls or dominates Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo.
The former President is a man of influence; don’t you think
it’s hard to reconcile this with someone calling his son a
poor man?
He doesn’t spend money on his children. He doesn’t. You
work and you earn salary. He doesn’t give them a life of
luxury. When I sent my son to England for his university
education, he said I must return him to Nigeria. He didn’t
pay a penny on his university education; I did, throughout.
After his graduation, my son said he would prefer to remain
in England and not return to his dad, but in 2010, Chief
Obasanjo brought him back to Nigeria, against my son’s
will, to stay with him and work for him. He transferred him to
his Calabar farm. Chief Obasanjo sold his Calabar farm
unceremoniously and after that went all out to impoverish
my son. When l started harassing him to bring my son back
from the captivity of his Calabar farm, he brought him back
to retain him in bondage in Abeokuta. My son didn’t want to
work for him or live with him again but the instruction from
God was that I should let him continue working for his dad
Since your son is one of the many children Chief Obasanjo
has, how come it’s only your son that is allegedly being
treated this way?
No, the other children cannot talk. The real Obasanjo is the
one Senator Iyabo Obasanjo wrote about in her letter. I’m
just praying my son comes back.
How do you feel that you were not at the wedding of your
only son?
I could not be happy that I didn’t attend the wedding of my
first child and only son. It was a day I had been looking
forward to. It is only if you are a witch as a mother that your
son would be getting married and you would not be there.
Apart from going to the police, what step are you taking to
make sure he’s found?
I’ve made the report to the relevant police authorities that
they should help me to look for him. He’s running away from
his father and he’s running away from his home. They
should help me appeal to his father. The world should help
me to appeal to daddy Obasanjo to fear God and know that
he is not God. Help me to appeal to him. He cannot take one
per cent of insult from a woman, so what is his reason,
motive or agenda for insisting that his son should remain in
a wedding of horror. He’s aware of these things. He should
address this issue, instead of forming coalition.
Are there times you cry over this incident?
There was a day my ex-husband called me; one of the days
my son went missing, and he asked me his whereabouts. I
told him not to go there and he should rather look for my
son. He said he learnt that I was hiding him and I told him I
couldn’t hide him. I don’t even pray that my son would come
and stay with me; that would be a curse. May God forbid it.
I’m praying for him to go higher, have children and have a
peaceful home.
When he comes back…
(Cuts in…) That is what I’m praying for; that daddy Obj
should bring him back and allow him to decide whether he
wants to remain in the marriage or not. That is what I want
the world to know. This man should not force a woman on
this man. If he says he wants to continue, let him do so on
his own terms and if he says otherwise, he should not be
cowed or intimidated into remaining in the marriage. It is his
choice. A man should not be turned into an inconsequential
puppet. And it’s not that my son is idiotic, because if he is,
he won’t be running away. He knows what he’s doing
With the way you feel now, what would you advice him to do
when he comes back?
The choice is his. He’s old enough to decide. He defied the
warnings of the Almighty God and that of his mother, so
who am I to tell him what to do? Am I the one telling him to
run now? No.
But then when you went to court to stop the wedding, some
people thought maybe there was something wrong with you.
(Cuts in…) Yes, they thought I had mental problem. My twin
brother came to court with five senior lawyers, SANs,
because they thought I wasn’t okay, but they, including my
son, who joined them, have all seen it now. My son has now
seen what God was trying to prevent in his life. Now, he’s
running from a marriage at this early stage. However, let
this young man be brought out to speak independently,
about what he’s going through. Is daddy Obasanjo not over
80, is he married to one woman? Why are you now forcing
your son to stay in this kind of marriage? My son is a very
reserved person. My daughter is married, so imagine me
saying I must go on honeymoon with her. That is not done
anywhere, but that happened in my son’s case. Then,
subsequent happenings have demonstrated to this young
man that he had to run for his life. He should not force death
on my son and he should not destroy the destiny of my son
on account of marriage. This marriage can result in loss of
lives. How can somebody be running away from death and
you are saying he should stay there? He has ill-treated this
young man too much. That lady is trying to get him into
trouble, because in trying to defend himself, she could be
injured or even fall down. One day, it would get too much
and instead of running away, he would react. He’s not a
dunce. He’s a healthy young man and he’s not a slowpoke.
Are you very confident he ran for his life or there could be
other reasons?
Of course, he’s running for his life. Let them find him and
allow him to talk, because they have turned him to a
fugitive. My son should not become a fugitive on account of
marriage. He should not be made to be running up and
down like a common criminal. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is
the one the world should help me to appeal to. He’s the one
that can bring solution to this situation. Now, we don’t know
where he is, he’s homeless, he has no job where he is, yet
he’s being threatened from left, right and centre. A father
that is supposed to give support and protect him is saying
he must stay in the same marriage. This is an age where
women kill their husbands anyhow. I love him; he’s my son.
He’s a gentleman anybody would love to have around. I
don’t think it is a crime having a big man as a father. I think
he’s afraid of the father, but marriage should not become a
do or die. It is God and Chief Obasanjo that can help us to
resolve it.
Have you met the father of the wife, Sir Kensington Adebutu,
about this?
I even went with a delegation to see Chief Adebutu. He’s a
good man. He said he was sorry and he didn’t know about it.
He said he had just heard too. Daddy Kensington Adebutu is
a noble and supportive father to all. He’s peaceful, very
tolerant, humble, not hateful and he loves people. He is
never tired of being of help to people. He’s not the type who
delights in making life difficult for others.
What was it like being married to a former President?
I went through hell in the hands of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
and my son got real hell from his dad too, more of great
torture from him that we cannot be telling the world.
Olujonwo is a son who has great love and enormous respect
for his dad and he gives him reverence at all times. He is an
ever peaceful, generous, loving, caring person giving respect
to everyone around him, including his brothers, sisters,
family members, guests, cooks, drivers, stewards and
personal aides. He doesn’t trouble anybody; he is not
divisive; he’s not confrontational; he doesn’t scheme evil for
anyone and everyone around him in his father’s house
knows he is a peaceful, respectful young man. Even his dad
knows that my son is highly respectful and dependable.
http://punchng.com/my-sons-wife-treats-him-like-a-houseboy-
in-his-home-taiwo-obasanjos-ex-wife/
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No violent word!!!!