Music artiste, Obiora Nwokolobia-Agu aka Obiwon, and his wife, Nkechi, have been married for five years. They share their love story
When did you meet your wife?
Obiwon: I met my wife at her sister’s wedding in 2007. A former client invited me to his wedding. I met her at the wedding reception. I saw her from afar and wanted to know who she was. I approached her and asked her to take me to where the groom was. The groom introduced us to each other. I requested for her phone number, so I could send her a text or call her when I got to my car. One of her sisters told her I was the one who sang Onyinye.
Was it love at first sight?
Obiwon: When I saw her, I knew and felt she could be the one but I was not sure until we spoke. Three days after we met, I told her I wanted to marry her and she made me wait for four years.
Why did he have to wait for that long?
Nkechi: I had just gained admission to the university when we met, so I had to complete my programme. Also, I had elder sisters who had to get married before I would be able to get married.
What attracted you to each other?
Nkechi: Initially, I did not see the relationship going anywhere. I just saw it as an adventure and opportunity to have a celebrity as a friend. My sisters and I used to laugh at his messages. After some time, we became serious and then, he wanted us to take a break.
Why did you want to take a break?
Obiwon: I had been in other relationships and luckily for us, we met when I was getting serious with my Christian life and wanted to do things right. I was thrilled by her beauty and love for God. But when I realised that I had to wait for four years, I figured out we did not have to waste each other’s time.
Were you in a hurry to get married?
Obiwon: Yes, I was tired of being in relationships and I wanted to get married. A friend of mine asked me to revive the friendship. I called her back but we had to slow it down a bit. It was good for us because we understood our situation and learnt how to handle it.
How did he propose to you?
Nkechi: The proposal was dramatic. He arranged with my friends to measure the size of my finger. After our introduction, he came into my room and knelt on one knee; I ran away initially and later I went back to the room.
Obiwon: That was the formal proposal, but the first time I proposed was three days after we met.
What was her response?
Obiwon: She just kept laughing. She considered everything I did to be a joke and she was having fun.
Did your parents approve of your decision to get married?
Obiwon: The first person I met about two or three years into the relationship was her mum, who eventually told her dad about me. She did not have any problem with me proposing marriage to her daughter but she said that I had to wait for her two elder sisters to get married. That was discouraging but we rose above that and fought it.
How did you fight it?
Obiwon: One thing that helped us was prayers. At the initial stage, we prayed about ourselves and the relationship. We also tried to find out if we were meant for each other. At that period, our prayer point was for her two sisters to get married. Thankfully, both of them got married within a year.
Was it then you married her?
Obiwon: Immediately, I went back to the mum with bolstered confidence and told her I was ready to marry her daughter. Without further ado, she arranged for a meeting with her dad and an elder from my family. A date was fixed for the introduction and we got married in October 2011.
How would you describe the marriage?
Nkechi: It has been an interesting journey. Marriage brings two people who are not related together. He has been helpful, even when I was pregnant. I have grown and learnt to trust God and not man. He is loving and understands me.
What kind of person is he at home?
Nkechi: He is a very quiet person. Apart from his career, I doubt if he would have been able to interact with people. He likes his space and once he has his laptop, he is oblivious to happenings around him.
How often do you have misunderstandings?
Nkechi: Not very often. We know what each of us doesn’t like and we try to avoid them. It does not mean those things do not come up but we have ways of handling them.
Obiwon: The misunderstandings are basic things that happen in a relationship. We have not had serious quarrels and I would say we are blessed. In fact, I always look forward to coming back home to see her and the children. That is important for my ministry. She believes in me even when I am not sure of myself.
What are some of the things she does to get you angry?
Obiwon: We try to address all our issues on the spot. I try to forget them as quickly as possible.
Nkechi: There aren’t much things but it is more of a decision issue. But I cannot pick out a particular character or thing he does to get me angry.
How are you assured of his faithfulness to you?
Obiwon: I barely see her feel insecure, although she may feel jealous sometimes.
Nkechi: I do not know about feeling jealous. It is important to get married to someone that fears God, because the person acts out of His love for God before his love for you and that is my major assurance.
Who picks up the bills?
Obiwon: Our money is one although we have separate bank accounts. We know each other’s income and budget. I discuss my budget with her even though she does not discuss hers with me. We have the policy that my money belongs to us while hers belongs to her. It is important to allow her independence with her income but she is loving enough to support.
Who is stricter with the children?
Obiwon: I guess I am. There are some things she would condone and I would not.
Has he ever written you a song?
Nkechi: Yes, he has written two. The first one, Obi mu o, was written after I teased him to write me a song.
What would be your advice to intending couples?
Nkechi: They should trust God and hold on to Him for direction because He does not change when human beings change. They should communicate effectively too.
And to celebrities?
Obiwon: God is love and love is God. They should listen to God, not their wants, needs or desire. He is the only one that can glue a marriage together. They should be humble too.
What pet names do you call each other?
Nkechi: I call him Baby.
Obiwon: I call her Baby but in our online chats, I call her Chocó Candy.
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