A veteran singer, Salawa Abeni, took many by surprise when at an event last weekend, she mentioned that she had been married for four years.
Salawa paid glowing accolades to her husband, Rasheed Adahunse, who was the Comptroller and Commandant of the Customs Training College, at the event, which was also his retirement and birthday. “I don’t have many words to say other than to thank God,” she had remarked. I’ll just say a few words about my darling husband.
“You have retired but not tired, as God joined us together as husband and wife four years ago. I pray you will live long and have abundance.
“You saw me as a musician and I saw you then as a complete ‘English’ man, but love conquered all. I have not chosen wrongly.”
The news caught many unawares as they did not know she had given marriage another shot.
However, in a brief interview she stated that she did not keep the marriage a secret. She said, “The event was my husband’s retirement and birthday ceremony.
“Who did I keep it (news of the marriage) away from? The people who knew, knew. I have confirmed to you that I am married, and that’s what is important.”
Before her current marriage, the singer had been involved with Lateef Adepoju, the owner of Leader Records, which she was then signed to; and a fellow musician, Ayinla Kollington.
In 2020, a young man had blackmailed her with her ‘nude pictures’, asking her to pay him some money, in exchange for not making the pictures public. She eventually called the blackmailer’s bluff and released the pictures herself.
The blackmailer, who turned out to be a 19-year-old graduate, Olufowoke Emmanuel, was later arrested by the police.
Salawa began her career in waka music in 1976 with the release of the album, ‘Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed’.