Musician Zaaki Azzay Opens up on what Led to the Crash of his 1st marriage + Lessons Learnt

Benue State-born musician, Zaaki Azzay made headlines some years ago after her first wife and mother of his three children, Hadiza, accused him of physical abuse and battery.

The couple subsequently split in 2012.

In an exclusive interview with the Entertainer, the popular 90’s torch carrying singer opened up on what actually led to the crash of his first marriage and the lessons he actually learnt from it.

See excerpts below…

What’s your take on the frequent marriage break ups in the entertainment industry?

The truth is when you are famous or you’re into entertainment, every little thing you do, and it’s not as if it doesn’t happen to others, it goes out of proportion. But you know marriage has to do with the individual. That a marriage will work, apart from the grace God, the person has to make up his or her mind before going into any union. The only time I can advise you to leave your marriage is when it involves beating and battering; that’s dangerous and can lead to either of the parties’ death.

Was your wife beating you that made you to dissolve the marriage? 

No! I will not discuss my wife’s issue here. I have left it for God to judge.

But she claimed you’re the one who used to beat her 

Whatever she says, let anyone who wants to believe her do so; but for all I know, I have left it for God.

So, when would you give marriage a second chance? 

I’m married. I have remarried with two kids.

How would you describe the first marriage and the new one? 

I would say that the new one really compensated me. Whatever it is that anyone is doing or saying, God has a way of making up for it. God really gave me the best for the bad!

Is she an entertainer? 

No, she’s not. Even my former wife was not an entertainer. She’s a businesswoman who got married and still doing her business. In my next world, I would love ‎to marry her again. She’s such a huge compensation from God. When I had that problem, my prayer to God was to give me a woman that will love me and love God more than she loves me.

You are very lucky to have a second chance 

There’s nothing like being lucky, my sister, it’s just the grace of God. I don’t want to sound like a pastor but I believe it’s the grace of God, even in my career and everything I do.

During those tough times, what would you say kept you going?

I won’t lie to you, when it first happened I was on my bed for three months and couldn’t come out. What really pained me was the love I had for her. I kept asking myself ‘what is it that I have done to deserve all these back stabbing, messing up of my name, media hype and the court she took me to? My heart was totally broken; I least expected it from her.

You know, it hurts more when someone you love so much turns around and stabs you at the back. For me, that would have killed me, but it only made me tougher. I am sure what happened to me, a lot of entertainers might not be able to stand the scandal. But I came out even better than I was before and sure it can’t be my effort but God’s. I don’t want to tell anybody what I experienced but I have never seen God reacting that way.

What was the lesson you learnt from it all? 

I learnt that whatever you do, take your time before you talk. It’s only the person who wears the shoe that knows where it pinches. Up till today, I have never said anything about it in the media; all what people knew was that she left me. But I wasn’t the one who sent her packing.

How is your relationship with her now? 

We talk, when we see in court, we greet and talk. That’s all.

So, you are still in court?  

Yes, we are still in court.

How many kids did your union with her produce? 

Three kids. We both are taking care of the children. I have been trying to have the children in my custody but I realised later that ‘what is the fight actually about? If I have the kids in my custody, that will give her access to come around and check the kids’. So, I have discussed with my lawyer to let her know that, and it now depends on her because it’s as if she’s enjoying the media hype.

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