For celebrities, it’s secret marriage to the rescue

Being a celebrity in a country like Nigeria, or perhaps in some other climes, sure comes with its downside. It could indeed be very difficult in terms of fan expectations. And when you consider the rate of failed marriages of celebrities in the nation’s showbiz industry, the import of the difficulty comes more to light.
Perhaps, it is as a response to the pressure and in a bid to take away an aspect of their private life from the prying eyes of the public that some celebrities have now resorted to getting married in private ceremonies unannounced. And in a way, I think it makes sense because if or when such marriages fail, it may also not be much of an issue, as we have witnessed in the recent past.
Recently, I asked Emeka Ike if he would like to come back to life as a celebrity. His reply may shock you. “I like to come as an ordinary person. I want to be able to move on the street like you. If people are fighting now and I go there, attention will be turned on me as if I am the one fighting. There is nothing like having peace of mind,” he said.
Emeka Ike’s wife, Emma, had filed for divorce and he now plays the role of father and mother to his four children.
I give kudos to Funke Akindele, Di’ja and D’Banj, if he is also married as it has been reported. And after getting married privately outside the shores of the country, Funke now goes by the name, Funke Akindele-Bello aka FAB. She had since changed her name on Instagram accordingly.
I will not be surprised if the likes of Banky W, Don Jazzy, Rita Dominic, Iyanya, Kate Henshaw, Chika Ike, Ara, Genevieve Nnaji, Fathia Balogun, and others, follow this trend.
Explaining being single at 40 in a society where marriage is cherished is always a task. This is one reality a handful of Nigerian celebrities are coming to terms with. And, of course, keeping a successful career and marriage does go hand-in-hand.
Regardless of the many deceits, torture and lies that some celebrities have had to battle with in their marriages, there is always someone for everybody.
So, for celebrities who are ripe for marriage, are yet to tie the knot and carry the burden of how their marriages would be taken in the society, there is now a solution – You can get married without the knowledge of the public and break-up, if indeed you feel so constrained, without their knowledge too. In recent times, as stated earlier, Akindele-Bello, Dija and D’Banj have shown us examples.
Until Di’ja had her baby, her marriage was like a rumour. According to her manager, Ernest Julius Audu, she carried the pregnancy in Nigeria for some time before she travelled out of the country to have the baby.
He said, “The truth is that Di’ja is a very private person and she wants a very private life. She is a northern girl and they are not a loud people. They do not put their family life in the public. You will not find a typical Hausa girl exposing her private life.
“At some point, she travelled out of the country but it did not stop her from working and recording. You know say na Nigeria una dey like things like that, but dey no care for other countries.
Di’ja just wants to focus on her music and talent because that is what she wants to give to the world.” Di’ja’s management knew that the media would make stories out of her marriage and they did all they could to keep her away from the public. Till date, only few people know her husband and the father of her baby.
The media will do well to let celebrities have little freedom to focus on their act and still live a normal life. Though, I am aware of the need to sell papers and attract traffic to our various mediums, adopting this stance may make media people seen less as tormentors to celebrities.
I called Daddy Showkey some days ago and he told me I was dialling a wrong number. Yet, I knew it was him because I know his voice very well and have him on my WhatsApp. I once called Fathia Balogun last year and she said it was a wrong number too. Immediately some celebrities identify you as a journalist, they will never pick your calls again or they will give many reasons for not been able to talk.
I cannot remember the last time I saw an extensive interview of Rita Dominic, Genevieve, Omotola, Henshaw and some other top celebrities on the pages of newspapers or magazines. Most of them are always wary of journalists prying into their private lives.
Whenever my boss tells me to ask questions about the private life of a celebrity, I smile in silence. Even as an editor of a newspaper, he does not upload the pictures of his wife or children on Facebook or any other social media platform. I work with him closely, yet I do not know how many wives or children he has. It is that bad.