Veteran actor, Yemi Ayebo popularly known as Yemi My Lover revealed that in the family he comes from, it’s forbidden for him to assist his wife with house chores.
Yemi My Lover stated this in a recent interview with Punch, Read the expert below:
Were you under any kind of pressure from family or society during your wait for the perfect marriage partner and conditions?
Of course, yes.
How did you manage the pressure?
Well, as a man, you have to keep moving, you don’t succumb to pressure until your life gets better and your better becomes best. It’s just to keep on pushing, trusting that one day, you will get there. Ladies too come under similar pressure when they marry late.
What was the experience like for you when your first child arrived?
I was thankful to God that at last I got a child.
Were you particular about the gender of your firstborn?
Well, majority of men would like to have a male as their first child but it was a female child for me. I thank God. In any case, a child is a child, no matter the gender. I was so happy; it was like I just won the World Cup for Nigeria when she came.
Did you give some form of assistance to your wife during pregnancy?
No.
Why?
Well, I wasn’t even around at that period and the day she put to bed, I was at an event. It was her mum that broke the news to me.
Do you assist with chores at home?
I don’t do that.
Why?
In the family I come from, it’s not permitted.
Is it a tradition in your family?
How can I be helping my wife with chores? For what? The only thing I did was that I planted vegetables behind the house because I like greens. I water them in the morning and night. I also planted yam and pepper. At least, with that, I believe that I have supported her so that she wouldn’t have to go far before getting some of these items.
Does this suggest that the relationship between you and your wife and children is like that between a king and his subjects?
All of the above; both as a king and as a friend. I am a celebrity, so, they need to treat me as a king; someone that has a name is like a king. Just like when you asked me if I assist with chores, someone that is a celebrity should not be the one going to the market and all that. People will then see me in the market and be saying, ‘Look, the celebrity came to buy something in the market,’ and before you blink, the area boys would have invaded me.
God has placed me in the position of a king, so, I see myself as a king always. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love my wife, my children and my family. I’m not harsh on them.
Marriage dynamics are changing and these days, you find women picking some of the bills or giving financial support to their husbands. What is your position on this?
That’s what they (women) are meant for. They are supposed to support their husbands in every aspect. You know what the Yoruba mean by oluranlowo (helper)? It’s a helper. The way it is abroad, when the bills are brought, the wife, who is also working, doesn’t expect the husband to pay everything while she keeps her money.
Though, it is the responsibility of the man to do that but as a right-thinking woman, she shouldn’t expect the man to buy everything and pay all the bills. She should support her husband. It is compulsory. The man shouldn’t be left to buy everything and pay all the bills. That’s the reason why you see men die before women. It is because of too much bukata (responsibilities) on them.
