The footballer’s late father, Shadrach Adebayo Adeyi, was from Eesa compound, one of the largest families in Igbaye.
Residents of the town said they were up to date with the family’s misunderstanding on Facebook, and said they were unhappy about how the whole incident went public.
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| Pa Okunola |
Relations said Emmanuel and his siblings were born and raised in Togo after their father left Ghana, when former Ghana President Jerry Rawlings drove illegal Nigerian immigrants out of the country. They said Shadrach chose to settle in Togo rather than return to Nigeria.
The head of the Eesa family, Pa Nathaniel Okunlola, said that he and other members of the family wanted the siblings to reunite and get past what's currently driving them all apart.
Okunlola, who estimated his age to be around 103, said the player’s father died some years back and was buried in Togo. He said the family had cut their ties with their kinsmen in Igbaye but added that he would love to see them re-unite and return home.
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| The house Adebayor's father supposedly built in Igbaye |
He said,
“We are not happy about the development and we are appealing to them to stop the show of shame. I am sure their father, Shadrach, will not be happy in his grave. It is disturbing when siblings engage in this kind of dirty fight.
“There is no family where there are no issues but such issues are not made public. I believe it is the handiwork of the devil. The devil will always want to cause division where there is unity and they just have to realise this and forgive one another. They can still come together and forget the past.
“We do not know how their quarrel started and we won’t apportion blames but we are using this medium to reach out to them to stop this fight.
“Our family here in Igbaye wants them to come home and do something (to re-establish their father’s legacy). They can rebuild their father’s house. Their father, Shadrach, built a house here when he was living in Ghana. They can rebuild it or build their own. We are proud of them and even if they will not come, they should stop the fight. We are begging them in the name of God.”
One of Adebayor’s cousins, John Odesola, who resides in Igbaye, said he was not happy with the development among his cousins and their mother. He attributed the rift to the devil, who he said would always want to cause disaffection in any peaceful relationship. But he added that the crisis was not beyond what they could settle amicably.
Odesola said, “The crisis among the siblings is disturbing. If I could, I would visit them to see how the crisis could be solved. I will like to advise them to stop the fight, and I want to beg them to put an end to the daily accusations which is just like washing their dirty linen in the public.
“There is bound to be misunderstanding even between husband and wife but making it public is not a solution to such. My brothers should think twice and discontinue their quarrel.”
People of Igbaye said the mother should intensify her prayers to regain the trust of her son, who labelled her a witch.
However, a resident, who identified himself as Kunle, said he believed the story as it was told by Adebayor. But he would want the family members to end the rift.
He said, “I think their mum knows something about the family crisis. They said she is a witch but it may be so or she may be doing something to make them believe that she is fetish. But Adebayor should beg her because the woman is his mother. No matter what has happened, he should beg her and I think his career will pick up again.”
Punch
