By Biodun Busari
Nigerian celebrities, mostly in the entertainment industry, have won the hearts of their fans because of their amazing talents. However, some of them had issues with their marriages.
A few of them are looked into vis-a-vis reasons for their failed marriages.
Korra Obidi
Korra Obidi is a talented Nigerian dancer, musician and model. She got married to an American chiropractor, Dr Justin Dean in 2018.
Their marriage only lasted four years as Dean announced he was quitting the marriage in March 2022.
Korra and ex-husband met in China on a popular dating app, Tinder. The 34-year-old American said his ex-wife verbally abused their child and also hurt him (Dean) emotionally, hence leaving the union.
Dean said: “Many of you know I divorced Korra because we got into an argument and Korra says things to hurt me sometimes and she repeatedly told me that she regretted that June (their first daughter) ever been born.”
Tonto Dikeh
Tonto Dikeh is a popular Nigerian actress, singer and humanitarian. She got married to an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Olakunle Churchill on August 29, 2015.
Churchill left the marriage in 2017 citing falsity and domestic violence for his reason to walk out of the marriage that was blessed with a kid.
Churchill said: “Our marriage was plagued with several frivolous claims of falsity, ranging from domestic violence to false allegations and all what not. I never laid my hands on her. I have never done that in my life before. She made up those things to discredit my philanthropic works. I am from a proper disciplined Yoruba home.”
Toke Makinwa
Tope Makinwa is a Nigerian celebrated radio personality, television host, singer and author.
She tied the knots with Maje Ayida, a professional fitness coach on 15th January, 2014. The marriage started having issues, thus separating them in 2015 and eventually led to divorce in October 2017.
After Toke had filed a divorce in 2016, an Igbosere High Court in Lagos dissolved their marriage on the basis of extra-marital affairs committed on the part of Ayida.
Toke also told the court that her ex-husband cheated with his mistress, Anita Solomon, an affair which produced a child.
She added that since they got married her husband had “behaved in a way she could not reasonably be expected to continue to bear.”
Julius Agwu
Julius Agwu is a renowned and successful Nigerian stand-up comedian. He is also an actor and writer.
He got married to Ibiere in 2008. But the marriage manged to survive for 14 years. The comedian claimed Ibiere abandoned her matrimonial home because of his ill-health. Agwu was diagnosed with a brain tumour, when three tumours were found in his brain.
Agwu noted that his sickness had taught him a lot of lessons. He said, “I have learnt a lot about life. I don’t want to say some things but the fact is that I have grown. Life has taught me that it is important to strategise.”
Mercy Aigbe
Mercy Aigbe is a Nigerian actress, film producer, fashionista and businesswoman. She and Lanre Gentry, an entrepreneur got married on 19th December, 2013.
Aigbe and Gentry first separated in 2017 and later got divorced in 2019 with both of them laying claims to excuses.
While Gentry accused Aigbe of sleeping around, the latter blamed her ex-husband’s mother for the failure of the marriage.
The actress got married to Kazeem Adeoti, her alleged ex-husband’s friend this year.
Aigbe said this about her first marriage: “I had a bad experience the first time, so I had some reservations and I just wanted to face my career, even though I loved him. I was happy and scared at the same time. Then, I was young and naive. Now, I handle issues differently. Also, the major reason my first marriage failed was because my ex-husband’s mum did not want him to marry from another tribe.”
Nedu
Chinedu Ani Emmanuel popularly known as Nedu is a Nigerian broadcast journalist, actor and comedian.
Nedu married Uzoamaka Ohiri in 2013, but their marriage crashed in 2018. Their marriage produced three children.
The comedian claimed his marriage has been dissolved but Ohiri has said otherwise, challenging him to produce the divorce papers.
Nedu estranged wife, Ohiri on September 3, 2021 called out Nedu for domestic violence. She accused Nedu of battering her a few weeks after she was delivered of their child by a Cesarean section.
Countering her, Nedu, on September 4, 2021, Nedu responded to his wife’s allegations and denied physically violating his wife, claiming that their first son is not his.
He wrote: ‘‘Our marriage was plagued with a lot of issues. One of which was continuous infidelity from her side that led to me conducting a paternity test on our kids which led to the revelation that our first son is not my biological son even though he was born within the period during which we were married.’’
Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele is a Nigerian multiple award-winning actress and film producer. The talented actress was married to a Lagos politician, Kehinde Oloyede on May 2012 and separated a year later on July 2013.
Funke Akindele also popularly known as Jenifa said her marriage with Oloyede did not work out and had to wait for three years before going to another marriage.
Akindele married to Abdul Bello, a Nigerian songwriter and rapper on May 2016, but the world woke up to the shocking news on June 30, 2022 that the marriage has crashed.
Bello popularly known as JJC Skillz made the announcement himself on his Instagram handle on Friday morning.
JJC Skillz said: “Dear Friends and family, I need to let you know that Funke and I have separated. While it lasted, we shared many things and have created two beautiful children”, his post read. “The last two years have been tough for us. I have tried my best to fix things, but I believe it is beyond repair now.”
