“I was abused in the relationship”: Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele gives details of her crashed marriage

Funke Akindele marriage husband

by Akan Ido

The marriage split between popular actress, Funke Akindele and partner, Kehinde Oloyede now has a new twist to it as the Jenifa star opens up on the rocky relationship.

The marriage which lasted just about one year was called off with Oloyede posted online that they have “agreed to go their separate ways due to irreconcilable differences.”

After rumours of a half-hearted denial, both parties agreed to come clean and call it off publicly.

In an interview with E24-7 Magazine, the funny actress hinted that she only enjoyed the first two months of the marriage.

Read excerpts of the interview below:

“I was abused emotionally and verbally. Really, I felt we could work things out when the trouble started two months after the marriage, but I made up my mind and shut the door of the marriage at him when the trouble was coming to me too much. 

I stooped to conquer him; buried my fame and name to make him my husband, but it did not work. At a point in time, I asked if it’s not the same man that was all over me before we married. He nearly got me off my career.  He called me severally; I did not pick his calls but when he realized my silence was tormenting him, he took to Facebook. It’s alright. Ask him when did he come to my house last? He left me here in my rented apartment with nothing and he will just dash in and dash out. He gets abusive, caustic anytime we have a misunderstanding and often told me to my face, he’s going to his wife in Oshodi.”

At Oshodi, she said, she received a warm welcome from the wife, Fadekemi, but constant humiliation from Kehinde.

“She was really loved by the kids at home; she enjoyed taking them out to eateries and stores. Sometimes, they spent the weekend with her and she followed them to school. The children will surely miss her,” our source, close to the family, said.  Now that the cookie has crumbled, Kehinde, she said has been calling and sending text messages begging her to come back.

“He sent me sms that he has seen a buyer for his house at Adeniyi Jones for N40million. He asked me if he should sell it and that if he does, he will buy me a new car and a rent me a new apartment. Why now? I don’t need all that, I want my sanity.” After she ignored him, he sent her another text abusing her and calling her names. “So you can see that he does not mean well for me,” she re-iterated.

E24-7 checks revealed as at Saturday evening Kehinde was combing the nooks and crannies of Ikorodu to locate Funke’s dad’s house. He boasted: “I will do anything to win my wife back.”

Over the past few months, Funke and Kehinde had started to see things differently so the need to pull out became inexorably high. It was revealed exclusively to E24-7 MAGAZINE by sources close to Funke, that she was ready to go on with Kehinde’s warts and all but for the fact that loyalty has never been his strong point- his children from different women tell it all.  Kehinde, our source hinted, has a roving eye when it comes to the opposite sex and this often causes friction between him and his celebrity wife. There are tales about his dalliance with his Personal Assistant, Funke. Observers of the marriage from inception feel that when fame and money come to a meeting point in a relationship, it will result in problems if the couple are not committed and disciplined. Moreover, a byproduct of this alliance is usually ego and it kills celebrity marriages faster than one can open the pages of tabloids and magazines. But this is not the case with Funke. “I respect him to the end but he chose to treat me that way. He said he wanted to clip my wings.”

Funke and Kehinde rarely spent substantial time together even at the peak of their marriage. Both kept to hectic schedules by virtue of their chosen professions. While Funke is often involved in back-to-back shooting on movie sets, Kehinde jumps from one  construction site to another; pressing buttons for his political ambitions; and  keeping dates with his wife at home and other women by the side. This sort of arrangement invariably makes keeping faith with the vows of the union very difficult. In the long run, suspicion will rear its ugly head and the couple will eventually drift apart, especially when they don’t live under the same roof. This is best exemplified in Funke and Kehinde’s break up.

Besides, Kehinde’s disturbing and haunting pasts have repeatedly stared Funke right in the face, and according to E24-7 MAGAZINE’s impeccable source, Funke learnt shockingly that her once beloved hubby was expelled from the University of Jos almost as soon as he was matriculated as a student of the ivory tower. His admission, according to our source, was faulty right from the beginning and since that first attempt at tertiary education went awry, he shut his door at education. When he returned from Jos, he found strength in his entrepreneurial skill coupled with the influence and support of his mother, a market leader and successful businesswoman; he became an estate developer, building chains of shops in Oshodi market.

Gradually, he crept into politics and his popularity soared  that he became a well-known grassroots politician and a great mobilizer. More than twice, Kehinde, who belonged to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and his supporters have clashed with the NATIONAL UNION OF ROAD TRANSPORT WORKERS (NURTW) Treasurer, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) loyalist. Kehinde has also contested for elective posts twice; most recent, was the Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 1 House of Representatives in 2007 which he also lost.

Many years after, he reawakened his political ambition and quickly re-aligned himself by joining the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). To shore up his image, he found in Funke who has become monstrously popular with her movie, Jenifa and the sequel, The Return of Jenifa, a ready tool. He convinced the favourite actress to lead him to the Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he had assaulted many years ago during the market women leadership tussle between his mother, Alhaja Almaroof and the late Iyaloja General Alhaja Abibat Mogaji.  After he atoned for his ‘sins,’ he joined the train of well- wishers that went to London to felicitate with the former governor when one of his sons graduated from a university in London. Reliable sources told E24-7 MAGAZINE that Kehinde’s lost bid to win the contract to rebuild Oshodi market really threw him off balance and that probably made him to turn the heat on his latest wife, Funke who wanted his attention.

Despite the ill-fated turn that the relationship has taken, many of Funke’s fans can’t help but wonder if she hadn’t known that the union was doomed to fail from the onset. The reason for this thinking is not far-fetched; firstly, Funke opted for the Muslim marriage even when many thought that she would go to the court registry to cement her marriage with Oloyede. Secondly, sources close to the family said Kehinde was warned by spiritualists not to venture into the marriage but he declined and did not share it with Funke. In the same vein, Funke was told not to go into it by her parents but she asked them to respect her wish.

And as it plays out, she is free to remarry anytime she pleases without unnecessary legal impediments. This and many other factors contribute to the opinion shared by many of  her fans that the delectable thespian  knew that the future of her marriage with Oloyede will not be as long, colourful and bright as it appeared with all the glam.  It’s just too quick and  too fast to break.  Now that the requiem mass has been sung for the once celebrated union, one cannot but remember the view of controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh, who declared that Nollywood brides often  marry “horribly.” Sources close to Funke, who has returned to Asaba’s movie location on Saturday morning, believe that though her action may not make perfect sense to many now as the confusion created may be laughed at while she goes through the tears, she’s confident that she will smile again.

Comments (11)

  1. My Name is sandra Morgan,From United states. I wish to share my testimonies with the general public about what this man called priestchidi has just done for me , this man has just brought back my lost Ex husband to me with his great spell, I was married to this man called Rolland we were together for a long time and we loved our self’s but when I was unable to give him a child for 2 years he left me and told me he can’t continue anymore then I was now looking for ways to get him back until a friend of mine told me about this man and gave his contact email, then you won’t believe this when I contacted this man on my problems he prepared this spell cast and bring my lost husband back, and after a month I stoped menstrating and went for a test and the result stated am pregnant am happy today am a mother of a baby boy, thank you once again the great priestchidi for what you have done for me,if you are out there passing through any of this problems listed below:
    1) If you want your ex back.
    (2) if you always have bad dreams.
    (3)And if you have issues with having a baby
    vist his email [email protected]

  2. Marriage is always about a management of mutual crisis. When such management turns awry, it’s wrong to demonise one of the parties involved. Funke is not a baby and neither is Kehinde a dull skull. Both knew what they wanted in the union and if they could not obtain just that they should be allowed to live it. They will however owe nobody any apology if they, in any time in future, decide to return to each other’s embrace.

  3. i wish u ve learn ur leasson over this period.think wisely b4 embark on another journey.dat is my advice 4 u.

  4. Dear Funke, I do not know why you allowed this to happen to you. If there was a reality show for ur fans, I’d win the show. That’s how much ur fan I am, even from ur days in *I need to know*. Immediately this gist got out my friends said , have u heard abt ur funke akindele. Ur movies come first!!!
    1. As an actress u have played roles and taught us that a home is best @ Mum dad n kids, not moms. You have taught us lessons such as *Pasan to fi na iyale…..*, I do not expect that you will dream of castles in the air with a man wt atleast 6 kids and 2 women. Ask ur mates who married 100% single men, their own men if can use that phrase. there are issues they battle with daily cos trust me marriage is hardwork esp cos emotions are mostly the main input.
    2. I thot that with ur age and obvious maturity and intelligence, u won’t settle for less(I’m sure u know less isn’t refering to finances but d characteristics of a Godfearing husband + celebrity’s husband. Not just anyone marries a young female actress, one who is on fire as u were @ dat time. He’s got to have the stuff. Dere was no reason for that. Funke, at d point u were when u got married, men suppose dey kill themselves for u, we suppose dey use dr mata laff for tabloids.Pls go n sit wt those who have thrived and ask them HOW? Omotola, Joke Jacobs etc. We wd love to see u raise lovely kids wt a fabulous husband who wd let u be U always.
    3. When u were getn married, days b4 d wedding I read many stories on y u shdnt marry Oloyede, I rem words like dangerous, mean etc. I rem I read one of ur responses where u defended him, and I wondered yyy?? A lot of negatives were said about him but you went on
    4. I’m sure by now u know the guy is a schemer and he married u for a major reason – to boost his political ambitions(ur links n fame)
    I could go on and on, but I’m sure u get my/ourdrift. Our superstar funke akindele shd have known better. You wanna marry a man, there are some basic qualities to look out for at all, at all.
    Finally, just wanna remind u that as humans we all fall short, we at a point walk out of line(God’swill) and that’s ok, dats why Jesus was born and sent. Pls re-align ur self with Him and I know He will make the glory of ur latter surpass the former.
    U will be stronger for it, we all just expected more from you.
    Will always be ur No1 fan, just bot city people’s fashion & lifestyle mag ysday as soon as saw u on it. Waiting to see a better you acting liKe this never happened. Waiting for Wazo too

    1. Even a marriage councellor or a Pastor couldn’t av said this better, well phrased!!!! Kudos

      1. Thanx she baby! God help us all!!!

  5. Well documented information, its not always easy for the stars you know..

  6. I will not sympathize with her because she had been warned ab initio not to go into the marriage and she herself knew that the marriage would not last and she still went ahead with her. I am very disappointed in her and that comes to tell us the way this celeb think But it is lachrymose that it is the other way round. Well, I believe in a second chance, God will help and forgive her for her mistakes…

  7. When money and fame comes then one should draw closer to God,to avoid the wrong people coming into your life. My advice to Funke is to give her life to christ and she’ll be renewed and the right person will come into her life. The same funke in the soap opera “I need to know” is not the same funke again so she needs to be careful

  8. Funke take heart, I empathize with you.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail