By Alté Jay and Okereke Udoakpuenyi, YeyeNews.com, October 17, 2021
Lionel Richie has stirred up some controversy on Mr. Bola Tinubu’s age after speaking in an interview on his upcoming role as a judge in the next The Voice Nigeria. The honest comment challenged the age Tinubu and his promoters are claiming that he has spent on earth.
The 72-year-old legendary singer and songwriter held an interview on Monday in Lagos with YeyeNews.com reporter and other reporters after his press conference to announce his appointment as a judge in the next year’s The Voice Nigeria. “I am very happy to be in Nigeria. It is a country that has produced some great musicians over the years; people whose craft I so much respect,” he said, when asked about his time so far in Nigeria.
Reporters went on to ask the veteran American singer and songwriter how many Nigerians he knew personally, and he mentioned Tinubu, but what came next made reporters’ jaws drop as referred to the former Lagos State governor as “Uncle Tinubu”.
“Uncle Tinubu used to be a friend of my grandfather, and he once visited our home in America when I was little,” Lionel Riche revealed, to the utter shock of the reporters.
One of the reporters couldn’t hold their shock, he went online and dug up an unfiltered picture of Tinubu, the former Lagos state governor — the Jagaban himself — showing clearly his deeply wrinkled face and saggy cheeks, and showed it to Lionel Richie to confirm he was really referring to our own Tinubu who claims to be just 69 and still strong enough to vie for the presidency. At first glance of the picture, Lionel Richie was stunned. He threw some of the reporters into a feat of unbridled laughter when he asked, “Is this the picture of Nigeria’s oldest man? My God! Look at his wrinkles!”
When YeyeNews.com reporter told him that was his “Uncle Tinubu”, he apologized and said that he did not mean any malice but went on to say that his father took some classes at a college with Tinubu and they became great friends. “He was very impressionably and knowledgeable in African culture and that made my grandfather like him.” he explained. YeyeNews.com reporter followed up to ask Mr. Richie how old he thought “Uncle Tinubu” was. He said he could be wrong but his understanding was that “Uncle Tinubu was about the same age as my father,” an answer that made all the reporters typing into their phones.
Google search shows that Lionel Brockman Richie, Sr., the singer Lionel Richie’s, Jr. father, was born on October 8, 1915. This alarmed the reporters and a reporter from Arise TV was screaming and referred to Reuben Abati, “Dr. Abati will never believe this – that Asiwaju is about 106 years!”
While reporters were busy mulling with one another the important of this revelation, a reporter from the Sun showed Lionel Richie the picture of Adam Oshiomole and asked him to guess who that was, “That must be Uncle Tinubu’s son”, Lionel Richie said. Reporters could not contain their laughter at this point.
YeyeNews.com could not contact Tinubu or any of his assistances, however, a member of SWAGA, a campaign group championing the candidature of the former Lagos State Governor, who claimed to be Tinubu’s classmate defended Tinubu’s age claims, reiterating on his Twitter account that he is 69 years old, and rubbished rumors claiming he is over 90 years.
