‘I Raised My Children From KG To Masters Degree’ -Onyeka Onwenu Bares It All On Her Tough Married Life + A Message To Nigerian Fathers
Veteran singer and actress, Onyeka Onwenu in a new interview has opened up on her past married life and how she single handedly raised her children while still married.
During the sit-down interview with media personality, Kikilomo Atanda-Owo, Ms Onwenu, who has always kept her life private, also detailed why she ended her marriage that produced two sons named Tijani Ogunlende and Ibrahim Ogunlende. Ibrahim later changed his name to Abraham.
According to the 70-year-old mom, she really didn’t want her marriage to end but she couldn’t take it anymore. Onyeka further stated that staying in the marriage would have killed her.
She went on to reveal that she raised her children from kindergarten to master’s degree, adding that her husband didn’t pay school fees for one day, didn’t buy clothes, didn’t pay for holidays, didn’t give her housekeeping money but he was a nice and kind and generous man to outsiders.
The veteran then shared a message with Nigerian fathers that any man who has children, has a family and decides not to take care of them will have to answer to God.
In her words:
“I went through it, it was difficult because I really didn’t want my marriage to end but I couldn’t take it anymore, it would have killed me. I always say that that is the truth and it was not good for the children to live in that kind of environment where the mother is depressed, the mother is carrying the weight of the whole family.
I raised my children from kindergarten to master’s degree. My husband didn’t pay school fees for one day, didn’t buy clothes, didn’t pay for holidays, didn’t give me housekeeping money but he was a nice and kind and generous man and basically, there was control where if you didn’t do the things he wanted, ‘well I’m not going to help you, I’m not going to give you money.
I would like to say this to Nigerians, any man who has children, has a family and decides not to take care of them, you’ll have to answer to God.”
Ms. Onyeka got married in 1984 to a Nigerian man of a different ethnic origin than hers. Her then-husband was a Yoruba man who was also a Muslim at the time that they were married.