Folorunsho Alakija and her Husband
After almost four decades of silence, Nigerian-born globe’s richest
black woman, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, has revealed the many pains,
rejections and frustrations she had to bear with equanimity in the hands
of her mother in-law, prior and after their marriage.
Speaking to a jam-packed church, she said her mother in-law never wanted a Yoruba woman and Muslim as a daughter in-law.
“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.
It was also an issue
when she asked for a baby girl from me and I could not give her. I have
four boys in my marriage... At some point, I was encouraged to fight
back by my husband, but I refused and kept praying to God to change her.
Despite my mother in-laws opposition towards me, I made sure we took
her to US and UK on holidays with us severally and kept showering her
with unconditional love. My joy is that we settled before she passed
on,” she recounts in a voice filled with emotions.
Alakija, who
was visibly emotional and was moved to tears, while her intimidating
resume was being read, also challenged husbands, to continually support,
provide and pamper their wives with unconditional love and affection.
“No marriage survives without love, respect and support from the couple,” she insists.
She
maintains that these “special secrets” were the ingredient that keeps
endearing her darling husband to her, thus helping to renew and
strengthen their undying love for each other on a daily basis.
“My
husband is my best friend, biggest adviser and supporter. We’ve known
each other for 40 years and have been married for 37 years now with four
boys.
Even though we work in the same office, I always ensure
that we kiss twice in a day, morning and night. I still wash his undies
until six years ago that he insisted I should stop.
I also
prepare his special vegetable dish, does his manicure and pedicure
regularly. I also go to the airport to pick him whenever he is returning
from foreign trips.
It gives me joy whenever his friends praise
my vegetable dish based on what my husband tells them during
discussions...” she further discloses with a gentle smile on her famous
face, urged women to be loving and submissive to their husbands.