•Talks About His 32 Yr Marriage
•Reveals His Marriage Secrets
The suave, dapper and stylish heir apparent to the Tejuoso dynasty, Senator Lanre Tejuoso is a man of many parts. He is an astute businessman and a core politician. As he has made a success of his career so has he made a success of his marriage. He is happily married to Princess Moji Okoya, the first daughter of Eleganza boss, Alhaji Rasak Okoya and they’re blessed with lovely children.
He is a social enthusiast like his father, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, the Osile of Oke –Ona Egba. His mother is Olori Adetoun Tejuoso and also the grandson of one of the first female industrialist in Nigeria, Oloye Bisoye Tejuoso, the Iyalode of Egba Land. Born in Abeokuta over 50 years ago, he studied medicine early in life and became a doctor before he ventured into politics. His sojourn in the political world has made him come in contact with so many prominent people and his pedigree has also made him have friends around the globe.
No wonder, whenever he stages any party, the venue will be filled up with many important personalities. In one of his recent social outings, he stormed Lagos for the engagement ceremony of his close friend, Segun Awolowo’s daughter, Oluwaseun and not only was he there as a family friend, but he also doubled as the chairman of the occasion. He said that he was highly humbled and honoured by his friend to be the chairman of his daughter’s wedding.
Segun Awolowo and Senator Lanre Tejuoso have been together for many decades. They grew up together and their closeness has always gotten stronger by the day. Lanre is in his mid-50s and his marriage is already 32 years, that means he got married at a very relatively young age. This was one of the many secrets he reeled out during his speech at the wedding. He took guests down memory lane when he wanted to marry and talked about how many of his friends thought it was too early for him to do so and also how he has sustained the marriage for over 3 decades precisely 32 years. He started firstly with advice for the couple on how they should run their marriage. He gave them Bible quotations and also reeled out his own secret of 32 years.
“I want you to witness what I am saying Segun Awolowo and confirm to your daughter, Seun later when you are in the house. You both need to learn from us. When I was about to get married 32 years ago, all my friends were afraid to get married because they thought marriage is a prison that I am going into some kind of prison and I should not get married. Your father, Segun Awolowo in particular thought I had signed my death warrant for getting married.
This was 32 years ago. I got married 32 years ago and glory be to God I am still happily married with my wife 32 years after. 32 years of marriage is not an easy achievement especially 32 years of marriage to your first wife, and I pray you will have only one wife, Toye. First of all, the first thing is prayer, my prayer for you both today is that in 32 years’ time, you and Seun will be sitting down like this to give out your own children too. You also need to have wisdom, wisdom means you have the knowledge and that is how your marriage can succeed. It has worked for me and still working. The first institution God created is marriage, that means it is very important and I will leave you to go read the book of Genesis in the bible. You will understand wisdom more. Marriage is for better for worse. You must hold everything together.
“Anytime I have issues with my wife or there is any up and down, I have a song that we sing, we make sure we resolve our differences immediately. Let all these things be your watchword”. He got a round of applause for praising and celebrating his wife on the journey of his 32 years marriage. The couple who got married to each other at age 21 and 20 once granted an interview where they spoke about their love story. Senator Lanre said ‘’I got married very early at the age of 22 because I saw what I wanted and I didn’t want to lose it. I met my wife when I was 21. On his attraction, he said “I saw everything I needed in her. I had a playful life.
“When I was in school, I had many girlfriends. I wanted someone that could take me for who I was and change me to a better person. I did not like that kind of life and I wanted someone that could change me to a monogamist. She comes from a polygamous family; she understands how men behave. She has the experience to manage a man with that kind of tendency. She used to counsel me to settle down with just one girl. I used to have over 10 girlfriends and she knew that she was one of them. She thought I could not marry her because she was a Muslim. When I told my grandmother I wanted to marry her, she was a bit concerned that she was a Muslim. But I told her that my wife grew up in London and she wasn’t really a practising Muslim at that point’’.
On the burning issue that made his friends thought he was taking a wrong step when he was about to get married, he opened up, ‘’I think young men of these days cannot make the decision to get married at such an early age. I would say they don’t understand that if they don’t get married, they wouldn’t be focused. They want to wait until they are focused before getting married. They don’t know that they need something to make them focused. The earlier you get a good partner-in-progress and have a good foundation, the better for you’’’.
Also, his wife who celebrated her birthday a year ago spoke on her marriage, ’’’The first time I laid eyes on him was in the UK. I was a very young girl and my father didn’t allow us to mix with boys. I noticed him at a party in the UK and when I came to Nigeria for a holiday, we met again. I was very shy. He probably made the first move. He was a player and I knew he was one. He was very persistent and eventually, we got together. Before him, I wasn’t in the dating game. I wasn’t thinking of marriage as I was just beginning to live my life at the age of 20. When he came along, I wasn’t prepared for any of his moves. When he said he wanted to marry me, I told him to go and meet my dad if he was serious. He was actually very wise about it because he went with his father. From there, the ball started rolling. I didn’t want to be anyone’s statistics or added to anyone’s list of girlfriends.
I was a very reserved and introverted person. I was wise enough to know that I didn’t need too many people in my life. I needed to concentrate on my husband and my children. We would be celebrating our 31st marriage anniversary later this month and I can tell you that I still abide by the same principle. I have only very close-knit friends’’. 32 years after, their marriage is still waxing stronger. Lanre Tejuoso, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health who represents Ogun Central in the current 8th National Assembly had his national youth service at Nigeria Port Authority clinic. He did his house job at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba. He also worked with his father for a year at his hospital. Even then, the trading instinct in him made him go into business; so, he didn’t practise for more than two years. He continued working with his grandmother at the factory, Teju Foam. He also did a lot of trading with her such as the exportation of palm kernel.
He started his elementary education at the University of Lagos Staff School in 1967 and was later at Igbobi College, Lagos in 1974 for his secondary education. In 1981, he was admitted into the University of Lagos where he obtained his MBBS and later accomplished his specialities in telemedicine and medical computing abroad. He became a doctor at the age of 21, making him one of the youngest doctors in Nigeria at the time. Tejuoso was on the board of many blue-chip companies including Berger Paints Nigeria PLC, Custodian and Allied Insurance, Teju Industries Ltd, Iyalode Bisoye Tejuoso Hospital and Adonai Petroleum. He is the founder of Avicenna International School and Buckswood School. He was also the president of Rotary Club of Tejuoso, Surulere Lagos from 1990 to 1991 and was the Chairman of Lagos Badminton Association between 1993 and 1994. He founded a Non-governmental Organization – Iyalode Bisoye Tejuoso Malaria Foundation to give medical assistance to the masses for free.
– TAYO FAJORIN OYEDIJI
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