“She spent over N35m on him” — Ilebaye’s mother counters father’s claims over BBNaija star’s wealth
Ilebaye's younger brother was not expelled, she claims
Ms Lami Calista, the mother of Ilebaye Odiniya, has pushed back against allegations made by the reality TV star’s father, Emmanuel Odiniya, accusing their daughter of abandoning him financially despite winning ₦120 million from the Big Brother Naija All Stars show.
Speaking in a viral voice recording earlier, Mr Odiniya had alleged that Ilebaye failed to support him medically after her 2023 victory and instead spent lavishly on friends and fellow celebrities.
He specifically referenced a moment where the reality star sprayed cash at the wedding of fellow ex-housemate Cross Okonkwo.
However, in a chat with Linda Ikeji Blog on Monday, Ms Calista dismissed the claims, insisting that Ilebaye had spent tens of millions of naira supporting her father, including funding his medical trips to India.
According to her, the disagreement began after Ilebaye refused to hand over all the money she won from the reality show to her father.
“When Ilebaye came out of the house, she gave the father ₦7 million when he was going for treatment in India in 2023,” she said.
“Even when he travelled again last year, she gave him ₦5 million, but he complained it was not enough. She later sent an extra ₦3 million. That is aside the ₦1 million she gives him regularly.”
Ms Calista claimed that the reality star has spent over ₦35 million on her father in total while also paying the school fees of her two younger brothers.
She questioned why her ex-husband expected their daughter to surrender all her earnings to him.
“Must she give him all the money? How much did he spend when she went to Big Brother?” she asked.
The mother also addressed allegations that Ilebaye introduced drugs to her younger brother, an accusation that surfaced after claims emerged that the teenager was expelled from school.
She denied the allegation, explaining that the boy had merely found an empty shisha pen in Ilebaye’s room and took it to school out of curiosity.
“What happened is far from what the father said. The boy found an empty pen shisha in her room and took it to school to ask classmates if they knew what it was. One student reported it, and the matter was resolved. He was not expelled,” she said.
Ms Calista further dismissed claims that Ilebaye underwent cosmetic surgery, describing the allegation as another attempt to tarnish her image.
“It is a lie. Look at her old and present pictures, does she look like someone who had cosmetic surgery?” she said.
According to her, the drug-related allegation has deeply affected the reality TV star because of the stigma attached to such claims.
“To accuse someone of taking drugs, do you know the implications? And coming from her own father, people will believe him,” she added.
Ms Calista admitted that her daughter may be “stubborn” at times, but insisted she does not use drugs and largely keeps to herself to avoid social media controversies.
