Gbenga and Lara George - Trying Out New Places

Lara George was a member of the former gospel trio KUSH, along with TY Bello and Emem Ema. She got married to Gbenga George nine years ago, after what she describes as a very short and fun-packed two years. In this interview, Lara and Gbenga talk about how marriage has been for them.

Charly Boy Oputa on Marriage - Love and Respect Your Woman

Charles Oputa a.k.a Charly Boy, who is 62years today, has been married to Diane 'Lady D' Oputa for over 30 years. In an appreciation note to celebrate his birthday, she writes, "...My Husband and Friend, our love shall never end, even when it goes through the fire, because you and only you are my true heart desire.... Thanks for being there for us, thanks for loving me and for all the beautiful memories you have given me so far. To my soul mate, lover and best friend…"

Basketmouth and Elsie Okpocha - A Happy Wife Gives A Happy Home

Comedian, Bright Okpocha a.k.a Basketmouth and his wife, Elsie, dated for seven years and have now been married for almost three years. They share their story, and details about their marriage in this interview with Punchng.

How long have you been married?

 We have been married for two years going to three years and I must say that it has been blissful and feels like we have only been married for two days. Everything seems fresh.

Marriage Avowals - Dayo D1 and Caroline Adeneye

Dayo Adeneye a.k.a D1 is better known as the business partner of Kenny Ogungbe, and I was a big fan of their music and entertainment show, Primetime TV back in them days. Dayo is also a husband, now married to his wife, Caroline, for 12 years. In this interview with Punch, the couple talk about how they keep their love fresh, having a daughter before marriage, and how they've stayed together for so long.

Comedienne Princess on Love, Marriage and her Wedding

Comedienne Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess, celebrated her marriage to Adeshola Jeremiah a couple of weks ago. In a recent interview, she talks about how they met and why there was only a short notice to the public before the big day. She also shares what she loves about her husband. See their wedding photos here.

Harrison and Tochukwu Nwozo - Be honest, Communicate. Compromise.

Harrison "Harry Baba" Nwozo Jr. is the founder and president of Tribe X Entertainment, LLC which has been responsible for promoting some of the greatest African, particularly Nigerian, events in the Washington DC metropolitan area since 2001. An Entertainment Consultant, Management & Promotional Expert, Harrison Nwozo is married to his wife and company VP, Tochukwu Nwozo, and they have three beautiful daughters. Enjoy their marriage avowals below;

Ogor Winnie Okoye - Never Go to Sleep With Unresolved Issues

Ogor Winnie Okoye is an inspiration to me. I agree with her introduction on her blog which reads, " I love my job! I love my clients! I love life! I love people! I love LOVE in its various manifestations." In addition, Ogor is "a spunky and vivacious mother of four amazing children... married to a truly wonderful man, Victor... an attorney and counselor at law by profession... an author..." Check out Ogor's website for more about her, and I hope you enjoy her marriage avowals;

How did you meet your husband?
I met Bubu ( I call my husband that and don’t ask me the meaning because I don’t know :)through a really close friend of mine, Uche. Uche had met Bubu and his friend, Chike, who were both dashingly handsome young man visiting Nigeria during the summer of 1994. She came running to my house and wasted no time in telling me that she met some really great guys vacationing from the States and one of them looks like my type. She suggested that it will be fun to hang out as in double date! We ended up double-dating for the evening and the rest they say became history. We all looked ridiculous in those first pictures we took, Myne. . OMG! You should see. . .

How long have you been married?
15 years into the journey, Myne; almost 20 years together and still counting. . .

How did he propose?
He proposed almost four years after we met. I guess for him, he knew right off the bet that he wanted to end with me as his “mrs.” For me, I guess it took me a little while longer. We did trans-continental dating for a while and then he proposed to me in 1997. How did he propose? You know, Bubu is every inch an Ibo man. I remember that we were having lunch in our favorite restaurant in Enugu and he had opened up a box and when I saw what he was about to do I was scared to death!

Chioma Yvonne Mbanefo - Learn From Other Couple's Experiences

Chioma Yvonne Mbanefo is an entrepreneur, writer, and member, Organising Team at TEDxEuston. She says about herself, "I have always been creative and entrepreneurial at a very young age, from making and selling ethnic ragdolls, crafts and even hairdressing in my teenage years. I am currently one of the Directors of an IT Firm based in the City of London, as well as a part time university lecturer." Yvonne is also a wife and mother. Enjoy her marriage avowals;


How did you meet your husband?

15 years ago on boxing day I was getting ready to relocate to the United States. The plan was to go, sort out where I would live etc, come back and get the rest of my stuff. On the eve of my departure, a friend asked me to come and hang out with her and also braid her hair one last time. As I was as her apartment, her boyfriend dropped by, and we told him we needed to buy hair extensions. Since the hair shop was near his friend's house, he decided to return the movie he borrowed from his friend.

We went to his house, and we got introduced. I was quite intrigued because the roast turkey he made and served us tasted wonderful and for me it was unusual that a single guy would take the time to make roast turkey with the trimmings. He was also the reserved and the quiet type and I am the opposite. Since I was packing all my stuff and travelling the next day, I looked anything but glamorous.

We then jointly decided to go to Chinatown for drinks and dinner and in the process myself and the quiet guy struck up a conversation. To cut a long story short, I still traveled to the US the next day but then turned it into a holiday. I came back to England after 3 weeks of long phone calls and that was the end of my plans to relocate to the US. Three years later, we got married.

Bola Essien Nelson - Believe the Best of Your Spouse Always

Formerly known as the Desperate Naija Woman, Bola Essien Nelson now prefers to be called Salt, and blogs at the Salt Chronicles. She is the author of three instalments of the Diary of a Desperate Naija Woman (2009, 2010 and 2011). She says of herself, "I am not perfect. I am no saint.I am not Maya Angelou. Nor am I Einstein. I am just a working wife and mom stumbling along, trying to make my way to heaven. I must see God. I just must." Enjoy her marriage avowals;

How did you meet your husband?

I met my mgm (mighty good man) at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria where we were both students. I actually remember the first day I saw him because it was in my year 1 and I was with a group of friends and one of them, Rita Ezedunor (nee Ajufo), shouted out loud ‘NEPA!’ as he walked by because he was so fair! I found it quite amusing that they were all going on and on about how tall and handsome he was because I was not impressed at all! I think it was the air of confidence he seemed to have that put me off. To me, he just looked ‘full of him-self’ as most ‘Lagos boys’ did back then.

As these things go, he eventually started ‘toasting’ me and after a long time, I agreed. I remember Rita ‘vexing’ with me for ‘pretending’ not to like him and then going off to date him. The funny thing is that much later I found out that he only asked me out to win a bet! Can you beat that? His friend Kingsley had bet him some money that he would not be able to win me over (I was known to be this ‘prudish, fat, Yoruba girl’). He being a ‘Casanova’ did not understand how anyone could refuse him. So he agreed to the bet for a laugh but as God would have it, he fell for me in the process! Yes, the Ibibio James Bond fell for the Ekiti Little Red Riding Hood. Poetic Justice abi? Lol!

Ibifiri and Bolaji Kamson - We Make A Good Team

Ibifiri is the blogger behind Secretlilies, she is also a writer and aspiring author. She writes of herself, "I love motivating people, I love women empowerment, I am a romantic at heart, I love fashion and I love creativity. Things I do: Fashion: Love making handbags. Writing: I love to write, even though I haven't published any novel yet. Reading...I long for days I can lazy about in bed reading a good romance novel. Very relaxing. God: hmmm Love Him. Temi: my knight." Enjoy her marriage avowals;

How did you meet your husband?
After uni we were told that we had to stay at home for an extra year before we could go for youth service, so I decided to be a photographer. Would I say it was fate or what there was an opening in one of the best photo studios in Port Harcourt and I sent my CV, went for the interview and was hired. That's how I meet my husband, turns out the owner of the photo studio was/is my husband. He was scoping me right from the day of my interview..lol

How long have you been married?
25th of October this year, would be 5 years.

How did your husband propose?
He tricked me into going to le Meridan hotel, when I got there, the head staff told me some story that some one asked to see me in the conference room. I wouldn't have gone in the first place but he was so polite that I obliged. Got into the conference room, which already had a romantic setting. I sat down still wondering what it was all about, and wondering who really wanted to see me while thinking that I must have missed the polo tournament. Lo and behold my husband then boyfriend came out from behind the curtains, got down on one knee and proposed. All the staff in the hotel knew about this except me.

Folurunsho Alakija on Marriage - Show Your Mother-in-Law Unconditional Love

Folurunsho Alakija is known as Nigeria's richest woman and probably the richest black woman in Africa and the world. She started her career as a secretary, then after studying fashion design in England, she founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label. She diversified into oil prospecting with her company, Famfa Oil, which owns one of Nigeria's most prolific oil blocks. Speaking recently at her 37th wedding anniversary, she recollected the early years of her marriage and what has kept her and her husband together this long.

It is obvious they started out on a solid footing of love and affection, when her husband insisted on marrying her against his mother's wishes. But it was not an easy road. Hear her;

“My husband’s mother was Igbo, while her dad was from South West here. And because of this, my mother in-law never wanted a Yoruba woman to marry her son. She was not comfortable also with my Muslim background then. She wanted an Igbo daughter in-law, but my husband said it’s me or nothing.

It was a tough battle until God finally prevailed... Whenever she wanted something from my husband and was not getting it immediately, she would start attacking me and saying I’m the one stopping her son from doing her biddings.

Unyime Ivy King - Communication is The Livewire of A Relationship

After featuring celebrities for the last few posts, the up close and personal Marriage Avowals from the people around the block are back.

Unyime Ivy King is a wife, mother, and writer. She likes to do everything especially her marriage and writing with passion or not at all. She currently works with Protection Plus Services Limited, a security services company in Lagos, but her passion for writing has taken her through media houses like: Vanguard Media, Daily Times, TW Magazine, and Security & Safety Magazine. She is the author of Burning Hurt, a novel about overcoming pain caused by relationships and blogs at Unyime's Musings. Enjoy her marriage avowals...

1.How did you meet your husband?
I met my husband 16 years ago in Akwa Ibom. I had just finished a training for intending volunteer workers in church and was confused about what unit to join, when this young man approached me and requested that I join his unit, which was the security/protocol unit so that I could work closely with the pastor's wife, whom I have always admired from a distance. I did not hesitate. I joined the unit and over time, we became close.

2. How long have you been married?
We have been married for over 10 years. By September 13th this year, our marriage will be 11years old.

Diane Oputa on Love and Marriage - Keep it Fresh

I blogged about them earlier this month after Charly Boy planned a second honeymoon trip for them as a gift for her latest birthday. Now Diane Oputa, Charly Boy's wife has granted an interview in which she talks about being the one to propose to Charly Boy after a few years of dating. She said;

I dated Charles for a few years before I proposed to him to marry me, else I would leave. He was getting too comfortable with just dating me because marriage wasn’t really on his mind. You know, he hasn’t been lucky in that department. During my first visit to Nigeria, I met his wonderful family and it was clear he was coming from a very strict Christian background. His family was a very spiritual one with high sense of morality and values, there was no way some of that wouldn’t have robbed off on Charles. I just fell in love with him and his close knit family. Since then, they have been ever so kind and loving to me. I just thank God.

Read the rest of the interview below;

AY and Mabel Makun on Marriage - Follow Your Heart

How long have you both been married?

Mabel: We got married in 2008. That was five years ago.

How tough was the wooing process and how long did it take for her to accept to be your girl?

AY: There was actually no such thing as wooing process when I met her. All I wanted was for her to be a part of the beauty contest that I was organising. I was still a student and even continued with the pageants after graduation from the Delta State University. She did not waste any time in turning me down because she was a fresh student who was busy going about her activities on campus. We soon became friends the following year, we clicked naturally. In the last eight years, she has been my best friend, girlfriend, wife, soul mate and baby mama.

What attracted you to AY?

Mabel: When I got admission into the Delta State University, I started hearing about a guy called, Ayo Makun, who was the organiser of The Most Beautiful Girl in DELSU pageant and DELSU Achievers Merit Awards. When I finally met him, I realised that apart from been a very hardworking man, he was also very talented and intelligent. I also found out that he lost his parents while he was still in school, but managed to stay focused while he saw himself and his siblings through school. That simply became an irresistible attraction.

Julius and IB Agwu on Marriage - Don't Bottle Issues

Julius Agwu, a comedian/musician, has been married to his wife, Ibiere for five years and they have a daughter, Zahra. They talk about their marriage in this interview, and personally, I think this is quite honest, the way they engaged with the interviewer's questions.

You have been married for five years. How has the journey been like?

Ibiere: It has been good.

How did you meet?

Julius: We met at a wedding in year 2000; she was part of the bridal train. Incidentally, Okey Bakassi and I were the comperes at the event, and both of us competed on who would be the first to ask her out. I made the first move but she was too little, she was underage.

Ibiere (cuts in): I was 18, I was not underage.

Julius Agwu: Well, she was 18 but she was a baby. I just saw one beautiful girl. I was smarter, I was faster, and I was able to get her contact. We became friends but she started putting up an attitude whenever I tried reaching her. At a point, I called her bluff and wondered who she was. In fact, I forgot about her.

Alero Roberts on Marriage - Marry your Friend

Being a doctor, wife, mother, teacher, relationship expert and columnist with Genevieve magazine, Dr Alero proves that love, understanding, patience and wisdom are the basics for maintaining a good marriage.

Definition of Marriage: For me, marriage is exactly what the Manufacturer planned it to be: there’s the man and then the wife, who is designed to be a ‘help-mate’ for the man she marries. Think of the head and neck relationship; he’s the head and she’s the neck, separate yet inseparable, distinctly different and yet inextricably intertwined. He’s the leader but she gives him permission to lead and shows him where to lead.

How they Met: I met my husband Dr Seyi Roberts in ward A2 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on the morning of Monday, 8th of November, 1982. It was a consultant’s ward round and it was my first day of Neurology posting. He was a senior registrar just returned from his year’s training in Harvard. It was sparks all the way! I thought he was an over-rated, arrogant, bumptious creep and he thought I was a little miss ‘know-it-all’, too big for my boots!

Betty Irabor on Marriage - It takes Two

Being the Editor-in-chief of one of the largest selling magazines in Nigeria isn’t Betty’s greatest achievement; nabbing one of the best men in the world, giving him children and keeping her family together is.

On her Wedding Day: My wedding day was the happiest day of my life! All my sisters and friends were around to assist me in planning; it was a lot of fun. Thinking about it now, I remember feeling a bit of the wedding jitters, mostly because I was told one of Soni’s ex girls was planning to ‘storm’ the wedding; she ended up not showing up and it turned out to be the very perfect day.

Funnily enough, my wedding dress gave me a headache because the blouse just did not sit right. It had a funny shape and people kept adjusting it for me but I kept telling them it was the style. It cost me less than N30,000 which included shoes, bag and other extras. I no longer have it, but Sonia my daughter, would not have appreciated it if I passed it to her anyway.

Joke Silva on Marriage - The Man can be Vulnerable too

Over the next few weeks as December wedding season progresses, I'll be running a series first featured on Genevieve Magazine about three friends, three weddings and three marriages of 20+ years. I'll start off with Joke Silva, that doyen of the Nigerian movie industry, and her husband, actor, Olu Jacobs.

The Proposal: Olu and I dated for a couple of years before we got married. I remember he proposed when we went for dinner and a Greek meal was served. I think he got the people in the restaurant involved in the whole arrangement; oh…it was just so romantic! He was living in England at the time though, so that was their custom and he was used to it.

The first years of the relationship: When I first met Olu, he was this dashing guy. He was just such incredible fun! We got along very well. I didn’t even know his age; I thought maybe he was in his late twenties, early thirties. I screamed when I found out his age. He was 39 and I was 20! Well, eventually it was my mum who gave me the go ahead because she saw how serious I was with him and hadn’t seen me that serious with anyone. My dad was worried about the age difference but my mum was able to make him see reasons. She also had the background of her mum being much younger than her dad and didn’t really see a problem with it. She felt it was something I could handle.

Eldee on Love, Marriage, Family and Celebrity

Lanre Dabiri, or eLDee the Don as he is more popularly known, is a Nigerian music star and was featured on the BN weekend interview where he spoke about his marriage and family. I was intrigued enough to want to know more. I found that BN had also covered his wedding and I was impressed enough by their story to share.

Chioma and Tita Obii-Obioha - Take Time for Romance

Today's guest is Chioma of Love. 'n Words.com. She says of one of the reasons she started her blog, "my family will tell you that I am a hopeless romantic. I love love LOVE “love” and coming up with little romantic ideas. So, I figured that I would channel all that romantic energy to a blog that celebrates love and romance in a fun and passionate way." She is currently running a series of thank you's to her husband as a pledge to Twenty days of Good Good Lovin'. Enjoy her marriage avowals below.