Valentine’s Day: 5 Nigerian Celebrity Couples Who ‘Missed Out’ This Year

Valentine’s Day is a special time celebrated annually on February 14th by lovers. It is a day that is dedicated to celebrating love and affection between romantic partners, friends, and family members.

The origins of Valentine’s Day are rooted in ancient Roman traditions, but it has evolved over time to become a widely recognized and celebrated holiday across the world.

One popular legend about the origins of Valentine’s Day is that it is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who was executed in the 3rd century.

According to the legend, Saint Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Before his execution, he wrote her a love letter and signed it “from your Valentine,” which is now a common phrase used on Valentine’s Day cards.

Today, people celebrate Valentine’s Day by exchanging gifts, cards, and flowers with their loved ones. It is also a popular day for couples to go out on dates, and for individuals to express their love and affection to their significant other.

But at this year’s celebration, at least five Nigerian celebrity couples who customarily celebrate their spouses openly on the day, failed to do so this year either because their relationships are experiencing turbulence or they divorced their partners.

Basket Mouth and Elsie

Top Nigerian entertainer and comedian, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, in December 2022 announced the end of his marriage to Elsie Uzoma Okpocha after 12 years of marriage and three kids.

The comedian said he and his ex-wife would continue to work together to give their 3 children the care and support they need.

Basketmouth married his wife in 2010 and they have three children together, namely Janelle, Jason, and Maya Okpocha. They welcomed their last child in June 2021.

Yul and May Edochie

Nigerian actor, Yul Edochie’s marriage has been rocked with controversy after a blogger in April 2022 pushed him to reveal his alleged extramarital affair with a fellow actress which produced a child.

Following the controversy, Edochie announced via his social media handles that he had welcomed a son with Judy Austin whom he subsequently married, barely three days after an Instagram gossip blog shared the actor’s photo hinting at the development.

However, his first wife, May Edochie, a businesswoman, said she would never accept Polygamy even if she forgave the actor for cheating.

The couple who got married in 2004 did not celebrate each other on social media on today’s Valentine’s Day.

Abdul Rasheed Bello ‘JJC Skillz’ and Funke Akindele

Nollywood actress Funke Akindele’s second marriage crashed about eight years after her first marriage to Adeola Kehinde Oloyede hit the rocks.

Akindele, after she divorced Oloyede in 2013, got married to Nigerian rapper and record producer, JJC Skillz, in London in 2016.

Skillz, real name Abdulrasheed Bello, announced his separation from Akindele via Instagram post late last year.

He gave inability to resolve their differences as the reason for their separation.

Paul Okoye ‘Rude Boy and Anita Isama

Paul Okoye, who is better known as Rudeboy, is a Nigerian singer and a member of the P-Square duo with his identical twin brother Peter Okoye

Rude Boy’s marriage hit the rocks after his estranged wife Anita filed a divorce case citing alleged infidelity, amongst other issues, by the singer.

The divorce between Rude boy and his estranged wife Anita was finalized in December 2022.

Other issues cited by Anita included Okoye being an absent father, alleged fraud, and other challenging situations.

She demanded a monthly settlement of $20,000 and a share of some of her ex-husband’s properties.

She accused Okoye of cheating her out of a partnership. The court granted joint custody of the children to the parties on October 20, 2022 but Anita would not receive financial compensation in form of alimony or settlement.

Rude boy and Anita met in 2004 during their undergraduate days at the University of Abuja. The duo got married on March 22, 2014, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and they have three children together: Andre, born in 2013; and the twins, Nathan and Nadia, born in 2017.

Keffy and Joseph

Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau, popularly known by her stage name Kaffy, is a Nigerian dancer, choreographer, dance instructor and fitness coach.

In January, Kaffy announced that her 9-year marriage to Joseph Ameh who is a singer, music director and drummer, had ended, adding that the divorce would give them a chance to grow.

The duo got married on June 2, 2012 and the union produced two kids.

Meanwhile, some Celebrities who took to their different social media pages to celebrate their partners include Obi Cubana, 2Baba, Laycon, Cubana Chief priest, Mercy Aigbe and actress Omoni Oboli, amongst many others.