The family of late music maestro, Sir Victor Uwaifo, on Monday, disassociated itself from alleged plans by a group of people purportedly led by the late Uwaifo’s manager, Chris Eburu, to raise funds for the one-year anniversary of the artiste.
The family also alleged that Eburu is currently facing trial over alleged forgery of the will of their late father.
Speaking to journalists in Benin, Edo State, the family members who include Uwaifo’s eldest child, Mrs Ogbomwen Reden, his son Goodman Uwaifo and others, also accused Eburu of using a name linked to their father to deceive the public into participating in the programme.
“We know our father is a global figure that can be celebrated anywhere by his fans but not somebody who is already having issues and facing criminal charges. He is using a platform connected to my father’s Revelation Tourism Palazo to mobilise people for the event and we frown at that.
“My eldest brother is in the US, he is not aware of this, about eight, out of our father’s 12 children are not aware of this and they are not part of it,” Goodman Uwaifo said.
Also speaking, Mrs Reden alleged that the manager altered her late father’s will and brought in witnesses believed to be unknown to his father to sign as witnesses in the will.
She said, “The witnesses are not the kind of persons my late father would associate with. My father cannot have an unmarried woman to sign his will.
“My father was a very hard-working man till he died and I will not allow anybody to reap what he has laboured for. I am fighting for my father’s legacy”, she said.
The Okaegbe for the burial of late Uwaifo, Mr. Udinyiwe Obaretin, said he believed that some members of the Uwaifo family were conniving with his manager to do what he was doing.
But when contacted, Eburu said the issue of forgery was a matter already before the court and he would not comment on it.
On the anniversary, he said the Uwaifo’s Revelation Tourism Palazzo centre is an association and does not need the approval of the children of Uwaifo before it could carry out any anniversary ceremony for its late member.
He insisted that the consent of the family was sought before the plans for the anniversary. (Punch)
