Few days after the
demise of the former Super Eagles footballer, Thompson Oliha, another wife of
the deceased has emerged in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
Oliha died Sunday
after a brief illness in Kwara State and it was reported that he was married
with a wife who had a daughter for him.
But a middle age
woman, Ajala Mohammed, who is now mourning the late Oliha, toldP.M.NEWS
Sports that she has the only son for Oliha, Clinton, who will be nine
years in February 2014.
She said members of
the family including his friends and colleagues knew about the relationship
which lasted five years before the late Oliha brought another woman who
had a daughter for him.
Ajala said she was
living with the deceased in his home in Lagos before he got a job with the
Kwara State government and started living in Ilorin.
“Even though he was
in Kwara State we still met when he came to Lagos. I also went to Ilorin to see
him as we were preparing to have another child before his death,” she explained.
She said it was
necessary to tell the whole world that Oliha had another woman who had his only
son.
Ajala said there was
a disagreement between her and the deceased which made her to move out his
house because of the woman who had a daughter for him.
She said after some
years, they mended fences because of their child and continued the
relationship.
Ajala explained that
she came into the late Oliha’s life after his football career when he ventured
into business.
She added that the
late footballer made huge loss in the business transaction because the goods he
was importing were sold on credit and those who bought those goods did not pay
his money and
this affected his finances.
She, however, claimed
she assisted the late Oliha to move on with life after the business misfortune
before he got the coaching job that took him to Kwara state.
Meanwhile, when our
reporter contacted the second wife of the late Oliha, Mrs Iris Oliha who
is based in Kwara State, via telephone, she confirmed that Mrs Ajala
Muhammed truly gave birth to a son for her late husband about nine years ago.
Mrs. Oliha added that
though Ajala gave birth to a son to her late husband about nine years ago, but
Ajala was never married or engaged to her husband before he passed away on
Sunday.
“I am the only legally
married wife of the late Thompson Oliha. Though about nine years ago, a year
before I met my late husband, a woman gave birth to a son for my late husband
but they never got married or did any traditional engagement.
“There is nothing
secret about the existence of the woman or the son because everyone in the
Oliha’s family knows about them and even his friends know about it.
“Oliha was a very
popular footballer and there was no way he would have had a secret wife or son
somewhere and the press and his friends wound not have known about it,” the
34-year-old woman who has a four years old daughter for the deceased said.
While commenting on
why the existence of Mrs. Ajala and her son are coming to the public shortly
after the demise of Thompson Oliha, the Edo state born woman said: “We are all
Africans and we like to lay claim to what we don’t partake in. I think is one
of those pranks. I am not saying the son is a bastard because even before the
death of my husband Mrs. Ajala used to call to ask for money for the child’s
upkeep or medicals. But I know she cannot claim to be married to my late
husband.”
The late Oliha was a
member of the 1994 African Nations Cup winning squad and after his retirement,
he became one of the coaches at the Kwara State Football Academy in Ilorin.
A day before his
death, the late Oliha was on the bench when Kwara Football Academy, KFA, played
a friendly match with a team from Mali.
Further investigation
revealed that he only complained of Malaria and was taken to an undisclosed
hospital in the state capital.
He later died in that
hospital same day and his body was deposited at a private mortuary in Ilorin.
The late Oliha played
for Bendel Insurance (1985-1987), Iwuanyanwu Nationale (1988-1991), Africa
Sports (1992-1993), Maccabi Ironi Ashdod F.C (1993-1994) and Antalyaspor
(1994-1995).
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Society