Ms Lami Calista, mother of BBNaija All Stars winner Ilebaye Odiniga, has defended her daughter against accusations made by her father, Emmanuel Odiniya, insisting the reality star has spent millions supporting him over the years.
The controversy followed a viral voice note in which Emmanuel accused Ilebaye of abandoning him financially despite winning the ₦120 million grand prize from the reality show in 2023. He also criticised her spending habits, including spraying money at the wedding of fellow reality star Cross Okonkwo.
Responding to the allegations, Ms Calista claimed the issue started after Ilebaye refused to hand over all her winnings to her father and declined his request for ₦50 million.
According to her, the BBNaija star has already spent more than ₦35 million on her father’s welfare and medical treatment, especially for trips to India.
“When Ilebaye came out of the house, she gave the father N7m when he was going for his treatment in India. This was in 2023. Even when he was going last year, she gave him N5 million as well. The father still called and said the money wasn’t enough. Ilebaye had to send extra N3 million to him. That is asides the N1 million she gives to him”
She added that Ilebaye also handles the school fees of her two younger brothers, which she said costs millions of naira.
Ms Calista questioned why Emmanuel was demanding such a huge amount from their daughter despite being financially stable himself.
“Must she give him all the money? How much did he spend when she went to Big Brother? I am surprised he is putting his eyes on the money of the girl. I am surprised! He has money. Why is he putting his eyes on the one the child has? Is he not ashamed?”
She further alleged that Emmanuel once blocked Ilebaye from opening a shop for her mother, insisting she needed his approval before taking such a step.
Addressing claims that Ilebaye supplied drugs to her younger brother, leading to disciplinary issues in school, Ms Calista described the allegation as completely false.
She explained that the teenager had only found an empty shisha pen in Ilebaye’s room and took it to school out of curiosity before the matter was misunderstood.
“What happened is far from what the father said. The brother found an empty pen shisha in her room when she wasn’t around and he went to school with it and was showing his classmates if they know what it was. One of the students went to report and they spoke and then thrashed the issue and they warned him. They did not even expel him.”
She also dismissed claims that Ilebaye secretly underwent cosmetic surgery, insisting there was no noticeable difference in her appearance.
“It is a lie! Does her bumbum or face look like something that underwent a cosmetic surgery? Look her old picture and look at her present picture, does it look different?”
