Do you remember the first words your husband said to you when you first met?
I don’t remember the words but my husband (Seun) told me later that when he saw me, he asked the person next to me who I was. He said there was something about me he couldn’t explain. I felt the same way and asked the same question when I saw him.
How and where did you meet?
We met at school during a summit organized by the Joint Christian Fellowship in our school. Then, I don’t go to programs other than the regular ones organized by my church, so I was reluctant to go, but my pastor insisted that I go. I thank my pastor for asking me to go because that is where I met my husband.
I remember sitting myself down at recess, he came to sit next to me and asked me my name and questions about myself. I was surprised because he was the president at the time and he was popular. I later found out it was his nature.
How long was your courtship before you finally got married?
When he asked me out, I was a bit reluctant because I didn’t want to marry a pastor. I had to pray and when I said yes, his pastor introduced me. That was in June and six months later, we had the presentation. When we first started courting, our parents were so in love with our relationship that they wanted us to get married quickly. But after the introduction in December, we had our court wedding in April, but we didn’t live together until we had our church wedding in December 2012. So we courted for maybe a year and six months.
What convinced you to agree to his proposal?
My whole life, I always knew I was going to go into recreation, so I struggled with saying yes to a pastor because our paths are different. At first I refused his proposal but when I did I lost my concentration and his name kept ringing in my head. I knew the situation was beyond me, so I had to pray to God for normalcy because I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I thought of it as a distraction then because I didn’t understand the situation but the prayers didn’t work until I told God that if it was from Him, I would do it. Until the moment I called him I got peace of mind when I accepted his proposal.
When I called him, he said he had moved on. I felt hurt that my initial and subsequent response were three weeks apart. After the call, I pray to God that I did what He wanted me to do. I was at peace and forgot about it. After two weeks, I got a message from him, since I called him, that he was thinking about it and wanted to be sure. When I read it, I knew it was God because my friend told me that if God was involved, He would call me back. Then I told him that God had already prepared me and it was okay.
What event made your wedding day memorable?
It was a good wedding and many people attended. That I was not happy during the church wedding. My wedding took place in my mother’s church and as I was not a member of her church, I did not like the restrictions placed on her. During Thanksgiving at the church, the guests used this opportunity to encourage them to smile, but the reception was very good.
How was the wedding trip?
It was a humble beginning. When we started courting, I was a fresh graduate and waiting for my call letter for the National Youth Service Corps scheme. “The Johnsons” had just started when I got married and I had to go back to the movies. So, because we had to be in the movie scene for a long time, my husband had to relocate to Lagos. The church he pastored had a branch in Lagos, so he was taken there.
There have been ups and downs and temptations, but we thank God for keeping us. God’s mercy and the strong vision we made made us ready for our marriage, and to the glory of God, we are still standing.
Marriage is real work that needs to be done on both sides, otherwise it will fall apart in no time. I wanted a marriage model and I have someone who wanted that too. So that’s been what kept our marriage together.
How have you managed to balance your career, ministry and marriage?
The only answer I can give is that it is God’s grace that motivates us to do more than we can. As a Christian, one’s time and life are controlled by God. Therefore, one must pay attention to what God wants. There was a time when I focused on my career, ministry, and family.
What is the best part of your wedding?
The best part of my marriage was the fifth year. The first years were hard. It was filled with trying to learn new things about each other and our children, trusting God, and learning to manage it all. When “The Johnsons” became popular, it was hectic, because it was not easy to manage it all. After the fifth year I started to understand family life and career better and I am enjoying it now.
What advice do you have for young people planning to get married?
First of all, I would say that they need to be involved with the right people so that they can build on the right foundation. First they have to get it right. Marriage is not a bed of roses. It is beyond feelings of love. When you get married, there are things you have to learn to do. You need trust, sacrifices, knowledge of equal values, vision and forgiveness. My husband paid for the sacrifice of leaving Ibadan for my career in Lagos. At that time, I was earning more than him but he never saw it as a threat or competition. Today, we are not how we started.
