The long drawn issue concerning Tottenham and Togo international striker, Emmanuel Adebayor’s maternal crisis may have finally been laid to rest.
Titles in the stable of The Sun Publishing Limited had published a report last month on the divergent opinions held by a section of Togolese concerning the footballer’s maternal identity.
Majority of the people interviewed during a visit to Togo last month alleged that Hajia Alice Adebayor may not be the biological mother of the former Arsenal and Manchester City player. But a recent visit to both Igbaye and Ekusa in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State revealed a vivid picture on the issue.
When our correspondent arrived in Igbaye, Emmanuel Adebayor father’s hometown, Alhaji Amodu Oyetayo, the Eesa (Regent) and second-in-command in Igbayeland, was on hand to give a clear account of the player’s maternal issue.
The Octogenarian stated that the citizens of Togo should not make a mockery of a serious issue, while he also warned that people should stop peddling damaging rumours about the footballer’s family and personal issues.
“Shedrach (Emmanuel Adebayor father’s baptismal name) died 10 years ago and he did not introduce any woman to the family as his wife except Emiola (Alice Adebayor). He is my first cousin and I tried all I could to make him visit Nigeria with his children because he often came alone.
“I was surprised because Shedrach and I used to communicate through letters. I wrote more than 50 letters to him in Ghana and he never stated in any of his letters to me that he was engaged to another woman neither did he mention having any child out of wedlock.
“It’s really sad to read all sorts of nonsense those people in Togo said about the birth of Emmanuel Adebayor.”
In a bid to further cement his facts, the 80-year old retiree who left the civil service in 1996 after spending many years working at the State Hospital, Osogbo (Now LAUTECH Teaching Hospital) stated that Adebayor’s father was a devout Anglican, who was not known to hang out with women.
“Right from his childhood, he never ran after women rather he was a hardworking Anglican Church member in Igbaye. It’s disheartening that he is not alive to confirm and prove all these doubters wrong.”
Saturday Sunsports also visited 103 years old Pa Nathaniel Okunlola, the head of Adeyi family and an uncle to Emmanuel Adebayor’s father.
“I thank God that I am alive to tell anyone who cares to listen that Shedrach’s wife, Emiola is the biological mother of ‘Emmanu’ (Emmanuel Adebayor). ‘Omo bibi inu re ni Emmanu’ I am old but the steps that led to their marriage and how they had their children are still fresh in my memory.
“When Shedrach’s elder brother (Emmanuel Adeyi) died, he was very sad and the thought of how he could immortalise him came to his mind. Then he made a decision to name his next child after his late elder brother. That was how Emmanu (Emmanuel Adebayor) got his first name.”
Saturday Sunsports also visited Ekusa, Emmanuel Adebayor mother’s hometown, which is less than five minutes drive away from Igbaye.
A cross section of the natives confirmed that the alleged maternal issue being spread around in Togo was untrue and a negative plot to further inflict more pain on the family.
Alarape Jimoh Jinadu confirmed that Hajia Adebayor is Emmanuel Adebayor’s mother, while stressing that the family was less perturbed by the rumours.
Popularly known as ‘Baale Muleke’ Jinadu revealed that name-calling and trading blames should not arise in this issue but that the truth is well known to everyone in the family.
“No one can tell us what we already know as the truth. Emiola is Emmanuel’s mother and she is my cousin. We are from the same paternal lineage. I have not heard about any contrary story concerning the birth of any of her children.”
It could be recalled that during SoccerStar’s visit to Didjole, Koviakope and other neighbourhoods in Lome last month, some of the citizens gave different opinion about Adebayor’s maternal issue following the player’s facebook rants.
This came after Emmanuel Adebayor’s sister, Iyabo had accused the Tottenham Hotspur star of kicking their mother out of the family house because he thought she is a witch.
The Togolese striker moved quickly to deny that he kicked his mother out, or even that he thought she is a witch, but he definitely thought that his family should stop using witchcraft.
However, Rotimi, who Emmanuel Adebayo accused of stealing 27 mobile phones, in an interview with Saturday Sunsports last month in Lome, Togo corroborated his elder sister’s claim that Emmanuel Adebayor evicted them from the house as they now live in rented apartments.
-IKENNA OKAFOR, WHO WAS IN OSUN STATE
