I cook for my wife — Elenu

9 years ago

I cook for my wife — Elenu

Popular comedian, Akinlami Babatunde Julius, also known as Elenu and his wife, Jane, talk about their marriage

How did you meet your wife?

Elenu: I met her in 2009 when I attended an event in her school. I saw her the moment I walked into the building. She was one of the protocol officers assigned to me. We got talking and I collected her phone number after that. I called her and kept pestering her life until she agreed to become friends with me.

How did the relationship develop?

Elenu: We started from being cordial friends to close friends. We dated for sometime before getting married.

How long did you date before you got married?

Elenu: We dated for four years before marriage.

Were there other ladies before you proposed to her?

Elenu: No, there were no ladies at that time. If there were other ladies then, I probably would still be thinking of which one to choose and eventually marry.

How did he propose to you?

Jane: I had just graduated from the university then. In order to celebrate my graduation, he tricked me into going for a dinner date with a few friends. Somewhere along the line, as we were having dinner, the chef of the hotel in Lagos brought a special dish for me which was ordered by him. On opening the plate, I saw a chocolate inscription “Will you marry me?” I turned immediately to ask the chef what was going on and I saw my husband down on one knee with a beautiful ring asking me same question that was inscribed on the plate. At that point, I was shocked and overwhelmed with happiness.

What were the initial attractions?

Elenu: Her beauty was the first thing that attracted me to her the first time I saw her. It was love at first sight.

Jane: His eyes caught my attention. He has the kind of eyeballs that look dreamy and romantic, as if he is giving you a wink. I also liked his comic nature and charisma. They were just so natural and there was nothing to fake about it.

How does it feel being married to someone from another tribe?

Elenu: I do not see anything wrong in marrying someone from another tribe. My love for her transcends tribe and race.

Were there oppositions from family members?

Elenu and Jane: There were no oppositions from our family members at all. They were all in support of the union.

Did you ever want to marry someone in the entertainment industry?

Jane: No, it never crossed my mind anytime I would marry someone in the entertainment industry. Even when we started dating, marriage was not the first thing on my mind.

Has marriage deprived you of your freedom?

Elenu: Saying that marriage has deprived me of my freedom would make it sound like being married is imprisonment. Being married has not deprived me of anything because I married the most amazing woman alive. I am free to do the things I still do, but with moderation. I have a family now and I make sure they come first in every decision I make.

How would you describe your marriage?

Jane: I would describe my marriage as the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is heaven on earth, and if I could choose over again, I would like to get married to my husband.

How would you describe yourselves?

Elenu: We are the best couple ever. We are great friends and so we do not hide things from each other.

Jane: We are a fun-loving couple and we are true to ourselves. We see ourselves beyond being husband and wife because of the bond we have built over time.

What would you like to change about each other?

Elenu: If I could go back in time, I would have married her long before now. Being married to her feels good and I imagine what I have missed all these years.

Jane: I would not want to change anything at all, he is all I want and will ever need in a man.

Do you get jealous of his female fans?

Jane: Not really. I need not get jealous of his female fans. I know the kind of industry he is in, and he would definitely have female fans. I trust my husband also; he knows where to draw the boundaries.

Do you have access to each other’s phones and social media accounts?

Elenu: Yes we do, that was part of the rudiments of our lives together even before we got married. As a result of that, we do not hide anything from each other.

Jane: Yes, we do.

How do you balance the time between comedy shows and your family?

Elenu: I am a family-oriented man; therefore, family time is more important to me. My work doesn’t come in between. I spend time with my family when I am not working.

How do you spend time together?

Elenu: We hang out together, go on vacations and play together. We play a lot and we behave like inseparable twins.

Do you have a joint bank account?

Elenu: Yes, we do.

What common hobbies do you share as husband and wife?

Elenu: We love to sing and we both play video games. We also love board games

Jane: We love to sing together, dance and play games.

What causes quarrels between the two of you?

Elenu: We have slight quarrels when there is a misunderstanding. It happens in all relationships but ours has never lasted for more than two hours. We always find a way to make up.

Jane: We quarrel when one of us upsets the other.

How do you make up when there is a quarrel?

Elenu: When we have a quarrel, we just make jest of each other and laugh over it. Sometimes, I cook her favourite food to appease the goddess of my life.

Jane: We just laugh over it after a while.

What pet names do you call each other?

Elenu: I call her my B.O.M.B (bone of my bones). Sometimes I call her Sugar, Maggi (the one that spices up my life), my Sunshine, Baby or my ‘Oha’ Soup.

Jane: I call him my Sugarplum, my Love, Honeybunch, Baby and any other sweet name that comes to my mind.