Nigerian gospel singer Tope Alabi has spoken about her past relationship with the father of her first child.
The singer, who was previously in a relationship with Lekan Olaoye and had a daughter named Ayomikun, said their union was never formalized through traditional or family introductions.
She later got married to Soji Alabi in November 2000, and they have two children together.
Controversy had trailed Tope Alabi months ago after her daughter’s wedding, where she was accused of excluding her former partner and changing her daughter’s surname to that of her husband, Soji Alabi.
Speaking in a video shared on her Facebook page, Tope Alabi explained that her past relationship with Olaoye lacked family recognition or proper marital rites.
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She revealed that despite living with him at the time, his family never met hers, and no formal introduction took place.
The gospel singer stated that she later realised the relationship was not built on proper foundations and that her father had always been concerned about the situation.
According to her, the relationship ended without official marriage, and she eventually found peace in her union with Soji Alabi.
She also advised young women to be careful in relationships and avoid being misled by men who take advantage of their emotions or desperation to marry.
She said: “I started living with him, feeling there was no point going back to where my family was pressuring me to marry at all costs.
Little did I know I had moved from the frying pan to the fire. Whenever I visited home, my father would express his concern.
“You know, he couldn’t tell me not to live with the man. [He’d say] that he hadn’t met the man I was living with nor any of his family members. It took repeated insistence before my so-called partner finally came one night, bringing along work friends.
“My family asked when his family would come for the introduction, and all he said was, ‘Okay’.
“If that ‘okay’ was ever going to come to pass, perhaps it would have been tomorrow. But tomorrow never came. Now, I don’t even need his ‘okay’ anymore. My dear father, who once longed for it, is no longer here. While here, he received a far better ‘okay’ from a good family. “Ladies, please listen to me, when a man sees that you are gullible or vulnerable, he can take advantage of you”.
