Former Lagos State First Lady, Abimbola Fashola, has spoken about marriage, faith, rumours and partnership, offering rare insights into her decades-long union with her husband, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), former governor of Lagos State and ex-minister of works and housing.
Mrs Fashola made the remarks during a recent episode of The Morayo Show, where both she and her husband reflected on their relationship, parenting, and the values that have sustained their family over the years.
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The couple reportedly met through Fashola’s father, who introduced them after seeing Abimbola at an engagement party for Fashola’s cousin, and they married on 1 May, 1993. They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2023. Their marriage is often cited in Nigerian public life for its successful interfaith nature. Babatunde Fashola is a practising Muslim, while Abimbola is a devout Catholic.
Different faith
Responding to a question on being married to a spouse of a different faith, the show’s host referenced the biblical admonition against being “unequally yoked with an unbeliever.” Mrs Fashola, a Christian, dismissed the notion that religious differences had been a burden in her marriage.
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“My yoke has been beautiful. I have no cause for complaint at all,” she said. “I believe that when God has made two people for each other, there is really no yoke anywhere. It is all about God.”
Rumours and trust
Mrs Fashola also recalled how she once responded to rumours that her husband, while serving as Lagos governor, allegedly had another family in Magodo, an upscale Lagos neighbourhood.
According to her, the claim was brought to her attention by her sisters, who told her they had heard that the former governor was frequently seen in the area.
“I was not threatened at all, never,” she said. “They said your husband has another family in Magodo and that he goes there every day. I told them not to worry.”
She explained that mutual trust and open communication defined their relationship, prompting her to wait for what she described as spiritual guidance before raising the issue with her husband.
“When I finally asked him, I said, ‘They said you have another family in Magodo that you are always going to.’ And he said he had not been to Magodo, except during campaigns.”
Faith and upbringing
Mr Fashola, a Muslim, also addressed the faith question, arguing that the concept of belief is often oversimplified.
“You asked my wife why she married an unbeliever,” he said. “But there is another version that says non-Islamic practitioners are unbelievers. So whose belief are we talking about?”
He explained that his upbringing was deeply rooted in Christianity, noting that his maternal grandparents were Anglicans and that his Christian mother raised him.
“Every Sunday, as the sun shines, I was in St Jude’s Anglican Church, Ebute Metta, until I was 18,” he said, adding that he attended Anglican schools, served as a school prefect, led assemblies and sang the doxology.
According to him, religion was never a source of division in his family. “The rule in our house was not about Christianity or Islam. It was that you must serve God.”
Life beyond public office
Mrs Fashola, a lawyer and founder of the Leadership Empowerment and Resource Network (LEARN), also shed light on her husband’s private side, describing him as disciplined and family-oriented.
She said his favourite activities include sleeping well, eating properly, spending time at home and watching or playing football.
Mr Fashola, who governed Lagos State from 2007 to 2015, described their marriage as unique, noting that despite disagreements, their children never witnessed open conflict between them.
“Even when things are about to erupt, once we see the children, we zone out,” he said. “I have never reported her to her family, and she has never reported me to mine.”
He added that humour and humility often helped to defuse tension. “When I am wrong, and I don’t apologise, she will say, ‘The devil is worrying you; I will pray for you.’ Then she will say, ‘I am sorry for you,’ and that ends it.”
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Raising children
The former minister credited his wife for the upbringing of their three children, saying she played the central role in shaping their values.
Despite the demands of public office, he said their children had a largely typical Nigerian upbringing, completing their primary and secondary education in Nigeria before travelling abroad for tertiary studies and returning home afterwards.
