Award-winning actress and one of TIME 100 most influential persons, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, is a reporter’s delight. After several months of chase, she and her husband, Matthew, agreed to an interview last Saturday. Held in their Lagos home, they talk about their 18-year-old union
What was the initial attraction?
Matthew: She was beautiful, fresh and untouched. I decided to start with someone who hadn’t seen the world yet.
Omotola: He was good looking but basically, it was his sense of humour and sense of responsibility. He is God-fearing too and a serious-minded person.
When did you propose to her?
Matthew: We didn’t court. I met her when she was 16 and I was 26. We got married when she was 18. She clocked 36 recently. We were family friends and I met her through my elder sister. She used to come around the house and when she turned 18, I decided she was ripe. I told her I would marry her and she didn’t believe. I went to tell her late mother, who said I should wait till after four years because Tola had just gained admission to the university then. I told the mother that I couldn’t wait because I didn’t trust the guys in the university.
How did he propose?
Omotola: That was when I turned 18. We had been friends for about two years. He was like a family friend then but I knew he had some plans. He didn’t say anything serious and I was somehow underage. When I turned 18, on my birthday, he jokingly said, ‘babes you don grow o.’ He told me his plan.
How can a woman have a successful marriage?
Omotola: I don’t believe in gender equality. I do not believe that God made man and woman to be equal in any way. I believe that in every organised institution, there is always a head and an assistant. It doesn’t mean that one should take the other for granted, or disrespect the other. I believe the husband is the head of the home and the wife is an assistant. My husband is a pilot, I have flown with him several times and I understood that here is a captain and a co-pilot. They are both responsible for the passengers’ lives. But when there is a final decision to make, it is up to the captain to make it. He is more experienced and the one with the responsibility. But any mature captain will not ignore his co-pilot because the co-pilot is not a cabin attendant. He is there for a reason. It just depends on how you understand and play your roles. I believe women should understand this. When a woman starts a struggle for power tussle with him, it tends to cause friction in the home. The woman should give the man the respect as the head of the home and also prove herself as a worthy co-pilot. He needs to see you as a reliable co-pilot. Sometimes, he may not be the one running the house day-to-day, you are the one to take decisions but you have to do it in such a manner that he is comfortable enough to see you as someone he can rely on. When you have a proud and egocentric husband, hand him over to God. If you feel like your life is being threatened, or that of your children, get yourself out of that situation. You owe your children that. Try separation for a while, but before that, you must have tried other things. I do not believe that people should throw in the towel in their marriage at every flimsy excuse. You must have been a diligent wife and tried prayers and intervention. If all those fail, then you can remove yourself from that situation. Also, couples should be friends and communicate. What we call love sometimes fizzles out. True love comes from friendship. When you don’t feel those initial sparks, friendship is what keeps you together, until when the spark comes again.
=http://bit.ly/1mNPXMkREAD THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE
| Posted: at | |
TRENDING GISTS 
I'm Building PDP, Not Tearing it Apart - Wike Addresses The Press (Video)
VIDEO: Man Caught While Waiting For a Minor he Had Solicited S£x From Online
Emotional Moment Femi Adebayo Presented His 2025 AMVCA Trophies to His Dad, Adebayo Salami
Rapper, Phyno Unveils His Daughter, Shares Adorable Video to Mark Her Second Birthday
Ex Madrid Player, Xabi Alonso Seals Managerial Move To Real Madrid As Ancelotti Bows Out