Nollywood actress, Oluwatoyin Mulikat Oladiran Olajuwon, popularly called Abeni Agbon, has recounted the intense opposition she faced from her parents when she decided to pursue a career in acting, as well as the challenges surrounding her marriage to an actor.
Speaking about her personal journey, Olajuwon revealed that her passion for acting was initially met with strong resistance from her parents, describing the situation as a “big war.”
“My parents didn’t support me to go into acting. It was a big war. But I thank God today,” she said.
The actress further disclosed that her decision to marry within the entertainment industry was met with strong disapproval from her parents, who feared it would be difficult to discourage her from acting if she married within the profession.
“When I told my parents that I wanted to marry an actor, they gave me hell. They thought that if I eventually married a non-actor, the person would discourage me from acting, and this is what they want,” she explained.
Olajuwon also made a striking revelation about the circumstances surrounding her marriage, stating that she resorted to deception to gain her parents’ approval.
She said she told them she was marrying a Muslim man and even gave a different name to avoid rejection.
“I had to lie that the man I wanted to marry was a Muslim, though he was a Christian. I lied that his name was Rasheed, if not they would not have allowed us to marry,” she added.
The actress further disclosed that her husband is a polygamist with three wives, a reality she said is part of her lived experience since the marriage.
