Year 2017, in IYAT Female Hostel at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
I was feeling extremely bored during one of those non-academic staff strikes, you know, the ones with neither heads nor legs (if you catch the Yoruba drift). The entire campus was practically deserted—no power, no water. Lectures were canceled. The works department (non-academic) had shut everything down just to prove a point to the academic staff that they mattered too. Typical Nigerian Federal University drama.
Being far from a loner, I decided to call a brother from my campus fellowship. We chatted about how he was coping in the male hostel, why he hadn’t gone home, and how he was surviving without basic amenities. You know, all those preliminary questions before getting to the actual request. Finally, I asked if we could meet up at Motion Ground for some nice pictures and maybe a walk. As the photo freak that I am, this was the perfect opportunity to capture some shots in spots I’d admired for three years on campus, spots that were usually too crowded with students for a quiet photo session.
Sha, by 5 PM, we met up and took pictures with practically every flower and tree in sight at Motion Ground. From there, we took a long 360° walk—Motion Ground, Car Park, COLFHEC, SU Building, Hostel, FADAMA, Vet, ICT, Senate, and back to Motion Ground. Only a true FUNAABite can relate! We talked for a while (not about what you’re thinking, not like I even remember the conversation, to be honest 😂). We walked back to the hostel and parted ways at the IYAT-UK intersection.
Later that evening, as I made dinner, I thought, Why not make an extra portion for the brother who spent two hours easing my (our) boredom? So, we had dinner outside, under that half-shaded tree in front of IYAT Hostel Lawn. Thankfully, the works department decided to show mercy and turned on the central generator for a few hours that night, so water was restored, and I could charge my gadgets.
The next day, I fell back into my boring strike routine because the prodigal in me wouldn’t let me go home. Then, in the afternoon, Brother called, asking if we could repeat the walk. Of course, being the spiritual Israelite that I am, I agreed. But this time, I took my time, two whole hours to dress up and style my hair. After all, today’s Motion Ground shoot had to be a bang! Mind you, Brother had called at 3 PM—not to say he was leaving his hostel, but to inform me that he was already waiting at Motion Ground. At least he could have called before leaving the hostel, right? Anyway, I beautifully showed up at 5 PM. That two-hour wait was not my fault!
When I arrived, he was holding an assortment of flowers, beautifully arranged in a way I’d never seen before. Turns out, while waiting for me, he had picked flowers right there at Motion Ground and put them together in a very… unconventional way—not in a vase, nor something you’d readily think of (let’s just leave that as BTS, lol). I was stunned, not just by the thoughtfulness but by the sheer creativity. Who gathers everything needed to woo a hard girl’s heart from Motion Ground at zero cost? Nonsense! 😆
That singular act was like an unspoken oration to my heart, and it practically saved this guy from the many words and rehearsals any regular guy trying to ask a lady out would have to conjure. Such a smart guy 🧢. That moment marked the beginning of a God-ordained, God-sustained journey.
We started out on September 4, 2017, and divinely got married on August 22, 2024. But ohh, these seven years weren’t a flip in reality. Any effort to expound on them would be tantamount to creating a compilation of the trials, joys, miseries, and triumphs that defined these years.
From the strain of a long-distance relationship between 2018 and 2021 to when we finally thought we had everything together, then Tomisin had a terrible accident in 2022 that left him bedridden until 2023. He spent a whole year unable to walk or even stand, followed by a long, painstaking surgery that lasted longer than the doctor expected, to the point where the anesthesia wore off during the operation, causing him raw pain. They implanted a metal cast in his femur to join the three broken pieces, a cast he still bears today. Additionally, two inches of his femur were chipped off, and the doctor warned that he would be limping for the rest of his life, not to mention months of physiotherapy. But God sustained him.
Then came our wedding, and if there’s anything we can boldly declare, it’s this: God sponsored our wedding.
We had no GoFundMe campaign, no friend-taxing tactics, no family rallying contributions, yet we lacked nothing. We didn’t have to beg or borrow; we didn’t even have to ask! God practically carried us through by his wisdom and sheer grace.
Today, we are husband and wife, not because we had it all figured out, but because God’s grace and mercy insisted on us. The journey ahead is long, but if there’s one thing we’re sure of, it’s this: The One who has carried us this far is more than able to take us even further.
Our life is unfolding into a worthy story of God’s goodness and trustworthiness. And we are grateful to have The Wed Wagon capture and tell a part of our story through his lenses.
