Nollywood actor Yemi Ayebo, profoundly called Yemi My Lover, has disclosed why he does not assist his wife with house chores.
The thespian said he is a celebrity, who should be treated like a king, and because of his status, he cannot be going to the market. He added that his family does not permit doing housework for his wife. “In the family I come from, it’s not permitted,” he said.
Yemi my lover got married at 38 and stated that he supports his wife by planting yams and vegetables so that she won’t have to go far to get them. Speaking to the Punch, he stated;
“How can I be helping my wife with chores? For what? The only thing I did was that I planted vegetables behind the house because I like greens. I water them in the morning and night. I also planted yam and pepper. At least, with that, I believe that I have supported her so that she wouldn’t have to go far before getting some of these items.”
When asked whether the relationship between him, his wife, and his children is like that between a king and his subjects, he responded thus;
“All of the above; both as a king and as a friend. I am a celebrity, so they need to treat me as a king; someone that has a name is like a king.
“Just like when you asked me if I assist with chores, someone that is a celebrity should not be the one going to the market and all that. People will then see me in the market and be saying, ‘Look, the celebrity came to buy something in the market,’ and before you blink, the area boys would have invaded me.
“God has placed me in the position of a king, so I see myself as a king always. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love my wife, my children, and my family. I’m not harsh on them.”
The actor shared his thoughts on women paying some bills or giving financial support to their husbands. “That’s what they (women) are meant for. They are supposed to support their husbands in every aspect. You know what the Yoruba mean by oluranlowo (helper)? It’s a helper.”
“The way it is abroad, when the bills are brought, the wife, who is also working, doesn’t expect the husband to pay everything while she keeps her money. Though it is the responsibility of the man to do that, but as a right-thinking woman, she shouldn’t expect the man to buy everything and pay all the bills. She should support her husband. It is compulsory.
“The man shouldn’t be left to buy everything and pay all the bills. That’s the reason why you see men die before women. It is because of too much bukata (responsibilities) on them.”
Elaborating on the values he learnt from his mother regarding marriage. He stipulated, “My dad will tell you that you shouldn’t marry just any woman; that you should marry an intelligent woman. You can’t also raise your hands against your wife, no matter what she does wrong.”
“Have it in mind that your wife is not God, so, she can make mistakes. The lowliest a man can sink is to beat his wife. My dad will never agree with that and even till today, I hate it. Any man that raises his hand to beat his wife is a madman.
“Women will do things that will make you angry, but the best thing to do is to leave the house for a while and just go somewhere. She will be the one calling and begging you to return home; promising that such a thing wouldn’t repeat itself. My dad usually told us that when we marry, we would be the ones taking care of the whole family, so we should work very hard.”
The actor revealed he makes time to be with his family and watch football whenever he is at home, but when he is not at home, he would be out looking for how to make ends meet.
