A 41-year-old man who identified himself as Ayinde has narrated how his recent job loss and subsequent financial constraints is negatively impacting his family, turning his wife and kids against him.
The auto mechanic in an emotional interview with NewsClick Nigeria said his job loss was occasioned by the sudden death of his boss, who according to him was a top staff of DHL.
“I worked as a personal driver and mechanic for my former boss who was a top shot at DHL. The pay was good and the man never treated like a driver but family. I never hid anything from my wife and two children. We were having it all fine and I gladly sorted the bills – house rent, feeding, school fees, general welfare, etc.”
According to him, things took a different turn when his boss died and he exhausted his savings on taking of the home.
“However my boss unfortunately died and that brought an abrupt end to my service for him. In less than few weeks, I exhausted my savings and we were almost back to square one. It became difficult to feed and even renew house rent. My immediate attempts to see if I could be absorbed into DHL didn’t work out. I also couldn’t immediately get another job and even mechanic side hustles that I used to manage with before wasn’t coming”
Ayinde explained that when the situation became unbearable, he had to beg his wife and children to go put up with their grandmother at Agbado Crossing while he doubled his attempts to get back on track.
Wife rents another apartment
He explained further that not long after he asked his wife and children to move to their grandma’s place that he heard from a relative that they had rented an apartment.
Some few months after my wife and children moved in with their grandma, a close relative who saw me at a place I was trying to make ends meet told me that my wife had rented a new apartment and packed from grandma’s place. And she never mentioned it to me despite the fact that I still kept in touch and spoke regularly to them on phone. I called her and she confirmed it. I asked for the address and she sent it.However, he later heard from someone that his wife had rented an apartment without telling him.
He said he confronted her, and she confirmed that she had rented a place. Although he was surprised, he said he accepted the situation because she was his wife.
After his family moved into the apartment, he said he began to notice changes in his wife’s behaviour towards him.
He alleged that she started asking him to do housework, including sweeping and washing clothes. Although he found the situation unusual, he said he did the chores because he loved his family.
He also claimed that while he was washing clothes, his wife sometimes sent one of their children to tell him to clean up water on the floor.
The man said the situation affected him emotionally and contributed to his drinking habit. He explained that he used alcohol to calm himself because of the problems he was facing.
Wife Allegedly Sends Him Out at 1am
The man described one night when he claimed his wife sent him out of the house at about 1am.
According to him, his wife told him he could no longer sleep in the same room with her and their child.
He alleged that she called someone who came to the house and helped send him away. He said his belongings were thrown outside, leaving him with nowhere to go.
With no place to sleep, he said he walked around until he eventually lay down near a railway track.
He recalled that he nearly lost his life when a train approached while he was sleeping. According to him, someone woke him up just in time to escape being hit by the train.
He said he would never forget the experience and thanked God for keeping him alive.
He Allegedly Loses Part of His Salary
The man said he later found another job and received a salary of ₦40,000.
He explained that he went home one day, planning to give his wife ₦20,000 from his salary.
However, he did not meet her at home and found only his children there.
He said he kept the money in his pocket before going to sleep. He also told the children to wake him when their mother returned.
According to him, he later woke up and discovered that his wife had returned, but the children had not woken him.
When he checked his pocket, he said he found only ₦9,000 instead of the ₦40,000 he had kept there.
He said he became angry and questioned his wife and children about the missing money.
He further alleged that during the argument, his firstborn child picked up a cane and threatened to beat him.
The man said he was shocked and could hardly believe what was happening in his own home.
He claimed that his wife later called the same person who had helped send him out of the house before, and they sent him away again in the middle of the night.
He said he broke down in tears because he could not understand how his marriage had reached that point. He also expressed sadness over what he described as a change in his children’s attitude towards him.
Daughter Returns ₦6,000
The man said he returned to work after being sent out of the house.
He added that the following morning, his second-born child, a daughter, came to him and gave him ₦6,000, which he said was part of the money that had gone missing.
He did not explain what happened to the remaining money.
Looking back on his experiences, the man said he found it painful that his efforts to support his family had ended in such a difficult situation.
His account highlights the personal and emotional struggles he says he has faced while dealing with financial hardship and problems in his marriage.