In a recent interview with Punch, Hafiz
Oyetoro popularly known as Saka and his wife, Olaide, relive the experience of
their 10-year-old marriage and more.
How did
you meet?
Hafiz: She was a final year
student of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education while I was a lecturer
in the school. The first time I saw her, she had come to the school to submit
her final year project. I was with a friend of mine who knew her. I just told
my friend that I would love to meet the lady and he facilitated a meeting
between us.
Olaide: I believe it is God
that brought us together. When he approached me at first, I declined his
request but afterwards, I discovered that he is a good man, very religious and
well behaved
How
long did it take before you got married?
Hafiz: It took me almost a
year. I was ready but she was not. She gave me a tough time for almost six
months before she finally accepted. As a matter of fact, my friend had to
persuade her to accept my proposal.
Olaide: I would not say I
gave him a tough time. What I did was that I took time to study him. We are
well brought up in our house and we don’t jump into marriage anyhow.
How did
he propose?
Olaide: He said, “I want to
marry you.’’ There were no flowers or candles. When he proposed, I told him I
was not ready for marriage and he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I
wanted to pursue a degree programme; he accepted and even bought me the entry
form.
Hafiz: She had said no at
first but when my friend intervened, she took me to her guardian.
Before
him did you have other suitors?
Olaide: Yes, but I am a
devout Muslim. I did not accept proposals from those other suitors because I
wanted to marry Hafiz.
You
said earlier that a woman refused to marry you because you did not have a car?
Hafiz: Yes. It was after
my master’s degree programme and there was no money. I was just an average
artiste, struggling to survive, but the lady did not see the future. I remember
telling her that I was ready for marriage. Her reply was that I was not ready
because I did not have a car. I told her that with my job, I should be able to
get a very comfortable car within a year. She insisted that one car would not
be sufficient since she was going to be pregnant one day. That was when I knew
that in order to get married to her; I had to have two cars first.
Why did
you marry him when he did not have a car?
Olaide: I did not marry him
because of material things. I married him because of the love I have for him.
Hafiz: I have never had
any regrets about marrying Laide. It has been from one level of progress to the
other. I thank God for giving me the grace to meet her. I married her into a
room and parlour apartment before we moved into the college staff quarters.
Very soon, by the grace of God, we will move into our personal home. It has
been very rewarding.
What is
the most interesting thing about your husband?
Olaide: Everything about him
is interesting. I believe women should pray very well before getting into
marriage. It is God that chooses for people and He is the one who chose Hafiz
for me.
What is
the most annoying thing you have ever done to each other?
Olaide: Sometimes, he gets
angry and storms out of the house. At such times, I will stay in the room and
pray for God to take control.
Hafiz: She is a little
stubborn. Sometimes, I would express my dislike for certain things but as a
woman, she would want to prove a point. At such times, I would walk out of the
house because I love her. I would have to go out so that my anger can burn
itself out. I would not want to say something hurting that I would have to
regret later on. She has been there and taking care of my house. I cannot stay
back home and say painful things because of a little misunderstanding.
What is
the most romantic gesture you have shown towards each other?
Olaide: Everything he does
is romantic. He sings for me sometimes.
Hafiz: I just compose
songs. I am not a good singer actually. When I know that I have offended her, I
would sing her a song with my crooked voice. It has been fun actually, whether
in anger or merriment. If we don’t have misunderstandings, the marriage would
not be realistic. Most of the misunderstandings we have in the house are
everyday friendly disagreements.
Are you
a Saka fan?
Olaide: Yes. I am. When he
started acting, I loved watching him on the screen.
Hafiz: She appreciates the
work of art. She is a graduate of mathematics and I am amazed at the chemistry
between us. I have to commend her because she sacrificed a lot for the family.
As a graduate of mathematics, instead of going to teach in secondary school,
she had to resign and settle down to take care of the home because I am not
always around. Our plan is that when the children have grown, she can go back
to teaching. Maybe we will build our own school.
Your
husband ‘ported’ from poverty to a comfortable living, how is that affecting
you?
Olaide: I don’t think he
was ever poor because poverty is a mindset. He was not as rich as this but one
has to reach a phase in life. The extra money has brought positive changes to
my business. I thank God for giving him to me.
Now
that you are rich, as a Muslim, would you want to marry a second wife?
Hafiz: No. It is too late
for me to marry another wife. At 50, what else would I be looking for? I have
three children, I have my job and my wife is still young. If I marry another
one now, that means I want to die, I cannot cope with the stress.
How are
you coping with attention from female fans?
Hafiz: I am not a
particularly attractive person outside the screen. Most of my fans love Saka,
not Hafiz. When they meet Hafiz, they are disappointed; Hafiz and Saka are two
different personalities.
What
price do you have to pay for fame?
Hafiz: Fame affects my
freedom. I am naturally simple; I would love to live my life without being too
conscious of what people would say. But these days, my personal assistants and
managers and sometimes, my lawyer would follow me to certain places and try to
hide me from people. Also, some people harass me to get money. If I go out, I
don’t spend anything less than N5000 just tipping people. Sometimes, I give
people N1000 and they will complain that it is too small. They would abuse me
and consider me to be snobbish or stingy. I have to be realistic and not give
people money every day, otherwise, I will be broke. What I am trying to do now
is to give people who are really in need. That is more productive than showing
off by giving money to people who run after me.
What
pet names do you have for each other?
Olaide: I call him Oye,
which is the short form of his name.
Hafiz: I call her Olomi.
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