The wife of missing furniture-maker, Mr. Shola Adegbayi, Evelyn, has said that she would continue to to await her husband’s return for as long as she could.
The missing Adegbayi who hails from Ayetoro-gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, was 37-year-old when he went missing in October, 2018.
The furniture maker left his residence, at Ansarudeen neighborhood, off Gauraka Junction, along Kaduna-Abuja express road, in the morning of Tuesday 16th October, 2018 to make cabinets for one Mrs. Amakor Divine Joyse, who lives at Galadimawa area of Abuja. There hasn’t been a trace of Adegbayi afterwards.
His wife, Evelyn who spoke exclusively to The Verge, explained that she did not have the courage to establish a relationship with another man, despite the loneliness and the pressure in the last six years.
Photo – Evelyn
Evelyn added that some friends and church members had advised her to choose another man in order to avoid loneliness and overthinking.
She, however, insisted that her wait was not long enough, noting that her decision to remain single for as long as she could is premised on the good relationship she and her husband share.
“It is not that easy to move on, it would have been easier if he was an irresponsible man, but he wasn’t anything of such. He care so much about me and our daughter. I heard stories about some men being irresponsible, but I didn’t experience such with him,” Evelyn said.
According to Evelyn, the most confusing and embarrassing movement could arise if her husband suddenly shows up and find her with another man.
Photo – Evelyn and her missing husband
“I cannot just dump the man like that, he married me properly, we signed documents at the registry and also married in the church. If I have evidence that he is dead, that will be a different case, but in this situation, I don’t know if he is still alive, what if he returns tomorrow and find me with another man, how will I even look at him?,” she wondered.
Evelyn who looks after her 8-year-old daughter disclosed that she relocated to a town near her village in Kogi State as she could not afford the high cost of living in Abuja.
“I have relocated out of Abuja because the rent was quite high and I couldn’t manage to pay. At the moment l am in Kogi State, in a town nearer to my village. I am from Isanlu.
“Everyone seem to have resigned to fate but only kept praying for him. But I have not resigned to a bad fate. I still tell my daughter who was 2-year-old at the time her Dad went missing that he is coming back to us.
Photo– Evelyn and her 8-year-old daughter.
“I now own a shop where I sell household essentials, and with the help of my mum, I and my daughter are doing fine, it was my mum who opened the shop for me. The business I used to run in Abuja got ruined on my effort to find my him. So, when things started getting difficult, I felt it was better to leave Abuja, rather than do things that will not glorify the name of God as a means to survive,” Evelyn stated.
When pointedly asked how long more she would be willing to wait for, Evelyn said, “Only God makes promises and keeps them; He is the one who speaks, and it never changes. If I wait for some more time and He does not return, I may try to accommodate the thoughts of someone else. My parents are mounting pressure on me to have more children, saying I am still young and can’t continue to wait until I grow old, before the time passes me by. But, going by what is on my mind, I haven’t opened my mind to entertain thoughts of anyone except my husband. Even his parents are talking to me about it. Before now, they did not advise me to marry someone else, but now they are also feeling pity for me. Only God can help me with this situation.”
Read the full interview next Saturday …
