Bukky Awoyinfa with the Love of her life Mike Awoyinfa |
Mrs. Olubukola
Oluwatoyin Awoyinfa an international business woman is the beautiful wife of Nigeria’s
Super journalist and King of Tabloid Journalism, Mike Awoyinfa who is the twin brother of late Pastor Dimgba Igwe who died last year September 6th after
he was knocked down by a hit and run driver near his Okota, Lagos; South West Nigeria home while carrying out his early
morning Jogging exercise.
This coming Sunday, September 6th, it will
be exactly a year since this great media genius passed away. On Tuesday,
September 15th, a book “50
World Editors: Conversation with Journalism Masters” jointly authored by Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe will be launched in honor of the late former DMD of The Sun Newspaper and founding editor
of the defunct Weekend Concord Newspaper .
authored over 7 books with this new one being the greatest work they ever
published together as they wrote the book for ten solid years. In a rare encounter sometimes before the demise of her husband’s closest
friend and partner of over two decades we got some very interesting insights
from Mrs. Olubukola Oluwatoyin Awoyinfa,
the mother of Mike Awoyinfa’s 5 boys.
We interviewed her during a public event she attended with her husband in Lagos.
She told us what it means to be the wife of such a creative and mobile news man
of Mike Awoyinfa’s caliber. For the
purpose of the coming book launch, this blog presents the super exclusive of Mrs. Awoyinfa for your reading delight.
It is exclusively for our readers on Asabeafrika.
Enjoy!
Mum with the Awoyinfa Twins and Babajide Awoyinfa who now works with NAN |
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lifestyle of a journalist husband like Mike Awoyinfa?
being missed at home. He has always been a man that goes about and comes home
anytime. As a journalist, that is his way of life. I remembered when I had my
twins, anytime he returns home; the twins will scream that a stranger has come
home. So, I used to force the two of them on him, telling them, this is your
dad. So, anytime he comes home and he is like feeling tired, I will tell him, ‘look
you have to carry these children so that these children will know you as their
father’. So, invariably they got to know him. But before then, anytime he comes
home, they (twins) will cry, they will run from him. So, that goes further to
describe him as someone who does not stay at home because of the nature of his
job. He is so passionate about his job and the job had so much influence on
him. But that was then, now, he is a bit older and more reserved and close to
the family. Of course he still works but not as restless as then.
“I remembered when I had my twins,
anytime he returns home; the twins will scream that a stranger has come home.
So, I used to force the two of them on him, telling them, this is your dad”.
The Awoyinfa twins giving Mum the best kiss in the world |
most challenging one in your marriage?
so many of such moments when we had challenges, challenges like missing him at
home, challenges like, if you want to talk to him you cant get him for a
one-on-one, you might hear his voice on phone but you cant see his face.
Challenges like when you need someone to solve sudden emotional problems, he is
never there and that is just it. Every good woman will love to see her husband
regularly but in his own case, he is not always seen regularly in the house.
And anytime he suddenly returns home, even to see him is difficult because he
has to lock himself up. You know he is a creative person; a journalist, a
writer, a thinker. And as a writer you have to really give him time in order
for him to be able to write whatever thing he want to write because at such a
moment, you will know you don’t need to talk to him because he is thinking. At
times, you have to leave him in his own world. So, those were the challenging
moments of one’s life with such a busy journalist husband. You expect such; that
a very serious journalist does not stay at home. And as the wife of a
journalist you have to bear, it is not easy to marry a journalist. But the grace
of God kept us through all those periods.
Mike Awoyinfa?
senior in school.
“Every good woman will love to see
her husband regularly but in his own case, he is not always seen regularly in
the house. And anytime he suddenly returns home, even to see him is difficult
because he has to lock himself up. You know he is a creative person; a
journalist, a writer, a thinker”
Bukky with the wife of her husband’s best friend, Late Pastor Dimgba Igwe, Mrs. Obiagheli Igwe |
attend the same secondary school anyway.
I was in my own school and he was in his HSC class. So, he came to do
his HSC in my school that was Ijebu-Ijesa
Grammar School in our home town. I was in class one. He came to do his
upper six exams then. I think that was 1973, I just knew him then as a senior.
We used to call him “Bros Ghana”
then. He was really good in sports; I was good in sports as well. So we used to
go for sport exercise together but there wasn’t anything between us until when I
passed out. I finished my HSC; I went further to Oyo State College of Education.
I later discovered we were from the same state, we are even from the same
street, he never lived there, I never lived there as well. We only schooled in
town.
The Awoyinfa twins |
got to the entrance of the church, it was after service and he said to me “you
are my wife and that was it”.
going out of Church service, it was like a man and a woman was just going out
of church service, and he just said to me “You are my wife”. And I said “No,
how can you just see me one day and declare I am your wife”. He said “But I
have been seeing you before but I didn’t know you will be my wife. If I had
known, I would have proposed to you earlier”. I said “no, they don’t do things
this way” and we ended it there. But “Lo and behold, I got home, I just saw his
parents in our house, his father especially. He came personally to meet my
parent.
“I am Mike Awoyinfa’s best critic. Anytime he writes an article, he reads
to me and if I say ‘remove this’, he would remove it. If I say ‘ok, go ahead he
will obey. I am also his first target audience. Anytime he writes his article,
he will say ‘listen, listen, listen’, he will read on like a crazy man”.
The Late Pastor Dimgba Igwe, Mike’s best Pal |
said they brought wine for my mother. My mother also came home for Christmas.
So they just came and the father said “You are my in-law”.
a very devoted Muslim. A very good Muslim while his father was a devoted
Christian. That was how it started and the thing became a reality.
and captured you?
I will agree with you that they (In-law) just bumped on me and captured me. I
was like ‘Sho? That is not the way o. he was in Kaduna then, he was working
with the News Agency of Nigeria. So,
he left for Kaduna while I returned
to Ilesa for my final year at the College
of education. That was it and today we have moved on; we have created our own
experience and our 5 boys are good enough testimonial
as his wife of over 25 years?
very, very quite man. A quite man but very strong with his biro; with his pen.
He is very quite, easy going, intelligent and cherishes his integrity. He minds
his business; he is not an Owanbe kind of person, very
reserved. And he is a very good father of ours; I used to call him Ajibola Oko mi that is my pet name for
him.
Bukky with hubby and Mrs. Oby Igwe |
your life?
of keeping the home going; it was challenging but very rewarding with the
special help of God.
married journalists?
be prayerful and try as much as possible to understand the man in the marriage.
Once you understand him, the marriage will be smooth by the grace of God.
you?
writes an article, he reads to me and if I say ‘remove this’, he would remove
it. If I say ‘ok, go ahead he will obey. I am also his first target audience.
Anytime he writes his article, he will say ‘listen, listen, listen’, he will
read on like a crazy man. I would say “no, remove that one, this one is not
good” and he would remove. I will say ‘go ahead’ and he would call Dimgba (RIP) “Dimgba o, madam has
approved”.
Bukky Awoyinfa with Hubby at a Social Event in Gbongan |
that. I am his faithful wife.
trip for his creativity?
because he puts his efforts in everything he does, articles, books and
literatures. I just have to support him. I love all his works.