In 2020, I had just gotten out of a long term relationship that didn’t end so pleasantly and my friend, Richard called me. We caught up talked for hours about grief, life, heartbreak and I said “that’s the end of dating for a while for me and Igala men” and he goes on to say “You know what, I have the perfect person for you. My cousin, you two will be a great fit”. For context, Richard and I have been really good friends since the first year of secondary school and we ended up in the same university! He is Igala so he definitely was introducing me to another IGALA man! I said no immediately and went on to say “you must be crazy”. Richard being the persistent person he is just encouraged me to talk to Ele. In his words, “He’s really different and a great fit. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to keep talking to him”. I asked to see what he looks like and I realised I had “met” Ele before. Another friend of ours, Dayo had mentioned him when I needed someone to help me bring back a parcel to Nigeria for one of many many businesses which he did so graciously in 2019. We didn't physically see because I just sent a logistics company to pick it up and never spoke to him again. I didn’t confirm to Richard and continued my life. Richard came back again to follow up and asked me to accept Ele's request on Instagram. I did and Ele sent me a direct, lengthy message trying to meet up. We went painting, Ele arrived before me and I was trying to park which was not a pleasant sight. Anyways, he cracked a joke which is the only funny joke I've heard since I met him. The painting and conversations were great. That was the beginning of many more activities we created in COVID year. More importantly, he looked better in person. Men 🤝🏾 taking terrible pictures. He was very easy to talk to but I wasn’t ready for a relationship so we settled for being friends. I was putting my life together and so was he. I only prayed for God’s wisdom not mine because I’m probably not the best decision maker. By 2021, we had spent so much time with each other, realising we had more things in common. We knew we liked each other and we both trusted each other. I enjoyed getting to know his family especially his mummy who's absolutely sweet. Later in the year, I fell sick and Ele came to visit me in the hospital. We hadn't seen or spoken in a while and he mentioned, he was leaving for his masters. I was a little heartbroken even though we had worked towards that. He talked about how he wouldn’t want to lose me but I decided to see how it goes. I didn't want a long distance relationship and we struggled with keeping in touch. What stood out to me was how kind and gentle we were with each other through every season. We continued being friends and I eventually moved for my masters in September 2022. Ele made sure I settled in well, helped me set up my house and it felt like the good old days hoping around Abuja together but in a new location. He talked about getting married in 2023 and I was scared. We talked about my plenty fears and concerns. Ele was serious and made us walk through every concern. He asked me to be his girlfriend in Norwich, October 2022. We met my parents in March 2023 and we were engaged in September 2023. Ele has been love, friendship, peace, harmony and patience personified. Grateful to God for everything. ❤️ I love you my darling Tee and I look forward to our new beginnings with God on our side. If you’re reading this, please say a prayer for Richard and Dayo that God always grants their heart desires.

The genesis of my love story with Iganya is pieced together by a series of coincidences that make me ask: what are the odds that I would have met such a lady? However, I believe it happened this way so that all glory can be given to God. Because I never went searching, our paths crossed and today we’re happy together. This love started in 2019, when I was asked to deliver some items to Nigeria by a friend named, Dayo Akinpelumi. He connected us for the purpose of the delivery and that was about it, nothing more. However, when I delivered the items, the next day I saw the same things on a friends Instagram and my gut feeling could not rest because I felt like those were the items I brought from the UK. So, I followed the tag of the business page (skincredible ng) and I screenshot a picture of the business owner and sent it to Dayo. He confirmed that the girl in the picture is the person that I had been talking to. But I had no intention of speaking with her then. I simply left it at the stage of a good investigation, haha. Fast forward to 2020, my cousin Richard Ogu called me by 12am to talk about a girl. This was after he had sent me an Instagram page. But I couldn’t view as her page was private and I had thought that my cousin was interested in the girl because I knew that he was actively searching then. But he calls me and says, that he was not interested but he wants me to meet her and she knows me and I know her. I denied any knowledge of her and even thought she was Akwa Ibom because I was not conversant with the name “Iganya” (not knowing that she was going to be my girlfriend and partner for life). I eventually dm’ed her on Instagram and we had a little chat before we went to WhatsApp. Now we didn’t delete each other’s numbers from 2019, so it was easy to kick off talking again. We spoke for 3 weeks on the phone before hanging out properly and that was the beginning of many hangouts. After the hangouts came the profession of love and interest in each other and it has grown with its unique ups and downs to this glorious point today. I call this relationship a divine arrangement because at the time we met, I had prayed earnestly for the first time in my life for friendship and love. It was after those prayers that I felt like I was going to meet someone and behold I did. I met a woman whose beauty doesn’t fade and her steps are as majestic as that of trained dancing horse. That’s how I met Iganya Kimanucheju, my baby. God remembered us and joined us together. I thank His providence.