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Madam JOKO ONI’s Only Daughter, ABISOYE
Everyone is still talking about the mother of all birthday parties that brought down the curtains on the Lagos social scene last year, December, 2023. It was the 70th birthday party of the one and only society Icon and celebrated gold merchant, Jokotade Oni, the one everyone now calls the Dubai Goddess. It was a grand 70th birthday party befitting of a top society lady of Joko Oni’s status. Gold Rush, as she’s fondly called by her peers and admirers who have known her from way back, attracted the crème de la creme of the society, captains of industry, society matriachs, respected politicians and even top clergies to her party. This came as no surprise to many who understand that Joko Oni had spent a larger part of her youthful life celebrating others and her birthday celebration served as the perfect opportunity for those she has celebrated to roll out the drums for and honour her too. And indeed, they all stormed the Balmoral Hall of the prestigious Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, looking stunning for this absolutely wonderful woman and modest philanthropist. With Laolu Gbenjo on the band stand, there was no such thing as a dull moment.
City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) was able to get Joko Oni’s only daughter, Abisoye (she has two sons and a daughter) to squeeze out a few minutes to speak to us about her mother, the celebrant. She was up and about, moving from one length of the auditorium to the other to ensure everything was going well. The very pretty looking Abisoye has a striking resemblance to her equally pretty mum. She cuts the exact look of a young Joko Oni. Many who were seeing her for the first time in a long while at the party were stunned to see how much she is now looking like her beautiful mum. Abisoye herself admitted she at first looked like her dad before she slowly and steadily began to possess the features of her celebrity mum whom she adores and loves to bits. She has her mother’s enchanting eyes and adorable smile. And she is also a very stylish lady, judging from the very lovely outfit she wore to the party. It fitted her pretty well. Abisoye revealed a lot of things about her dear mum that a lot of people do not know. Enjoy excerpts of the brief interview.
Your mum, the much loved and respected Joko Oni, is celebrating her 70th birthday today, tell us, what’s going through your mind right now?
I am extremely happy that my mum is alive today to see this very special day of her life. My mum is everything to me and she knows this. There is nothing that my mum does not know about me and I’m not ashamed to say it. I hide nothing from my mum. She is so wonderful. She is an amazing mother to me and my brothers. We are just three children and she’s taken very good care of us. I am trying hard not to cry right now because of my make-up, but God knows I love my mum so much and she knows it too. I can go on and on about how wonderful my mum is, even towards her friends, her aburos (younger siblings) they can all testify to this, she is so wonderful. I love her so much and she loves me too, just the same way she loves all her children most importantly. I wish her the very best. I wish her all her heart’s desires in good health and whatever she wants will be granted unto her in Jesus name.
You look a whole lot like mum. Many people who knew her way back as Gold Rush will remember how she looked then when they see you, you’re just as pretty as she looked back then in her younger days. How does that make you feel?
Everybody says that a lot. I hear that a lot of times these days. I think growing up, I really didn’t look much like her, I looked more like my dad. But all of a sudden, I just started looking like my mum. Even here at the party right now, dozens of people have told me, oh, you look so much like your mum now. And it’s all good. I love the fact that I seem to look like her.
What is that one major thing that you love the most about your mum or about her personality?
My mum is a disciplinarian. I love the fact that she disciplined her children. She disciplined us and she disciplined her grandchildren. And the fact that she loves her kids. She fights for us. That’s one thing I love about her. She is always there for us. If you fight us, the children, you fight her, that’s my mum for you. If you fight Joko’s kids, then you have fought with Joko. That’s exactly how much Joko loves her kids and thsat makes me a happy daughter. I think that’s something that would make any child happy.
What can really get mummy angry? What can get her really upset?
What can make her upset? She hates it when you talk back at her. If she says something and you’re trying to defend yourself and raising your voice at her in the process, she will be very angry with you. Then, she also hates when you don’t keep to time. When she tells you it’s two, you stick to the time. Once it’s two, make sure your two is two. She also hates dirtiness. My mum doesn’t like anywhere dirty. She expects you to know that everything in the house shoud be in its proper place. If you take something, return it back to its proper place, don’t leave things lying around the house. That’s my mum for you. Once you do that, there won’t be any issue.
You obviously look like a very fashionable lady yourself, did you pick that from mum?
Oh, definitely! If I had not dressed well enough like this, I’m sure my mum would’ve sent me back, that’s the kind of person she is. She would keep telling you, you guys must make sure you look this way, you must look good and stuff like that.
So, did that put any kind of pressure on you as a young lady? Were you always trying to meet up to the expectations of people in terms of your appearance, being Joko Oni’s daughter?
Yeah, it did. At some point in my life, it did. It put some pressure on me like, so this is Joko Oni and you have to look like her daughter, you have to look good always. But what helped me was that, naturally, as a person, I love to look good as well. So, that just kind of made it easy for me to cope seamlessly with the pressure without trying too hard.
Finally, your wishes and prayer for her
Yes, I pray that God grants unto her all her heart’s desires in good health, may she celebrate eighty, ninety and hundred years in good health.
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