Former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, Ibukun Awosika, has shared how she sustained her marriage for 13 years despite earning more than her husband, urging couples not to allow money become a source of conflict in their homes.
Awosika spoke during a preaching engagement at Celebration Church, where she reflected on the early years of her marriage to Abiodun Awosika, describing how teamwork and mutual respect helped them navigate income disparity.
According to her, while she built her manufacturing business and secured contracts of varying value, her husband worked as a petroleum engineer with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in the public sector.
She explained that rather than allowing the income gap to create tension, they deliberately focused on building a partnership.
“When we got married, I was a businesswoman running a manufacturing company and getting contracts. Some days they were small; other days I could get a big break and make a lot of money,” she said.
“My husband was a professional petroleum engineer working in the oil and gas sector. One thing about him is that he is the most responsible and diligent man I know.”
Awosika described her husband as prudent and highly organised, noting that his financial discipline provided stability for the family.
“We would never go broke in my family because he is the most prudent and organised human being. I am a risk taker, but he is structured. We would never go hungry because he would make sure of that,” she added.
The business leader revealed that for 13 years, she concentrated on expanding her enterprise while supporting her husband’s steady career growth.
She said he held on to a biblical promise in Book of Amos 9:13, trusting that his time of reward would come.
“For 13 years, we lived our lives — I kept building my business successfully, and he kept building his career,” she said, adding that she believed he would eventually reap the reward for his patience and support.
She recounted that the turning point came during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when smaller oil fields were allocated to Nigerians and qualified professionals were invited to apply.
“My husband and a few of his friends applied. A smart petroleum engineer married to a business-minded wife means two minds working together,” she said.
According to her, he eventually secured an oil field, a development she described as a life-changing moment for the family.
“From that day till now, things changed,” she stated.
Awosika advised women not to make money a controlling factor in their marriages, describing it as a tool that should be used to build a shared future.
“Do not make money an issue in your home. Money is a tool. Use it to achieve things together, whether it comes from the man or the woman,” she said.
She stressed that true partnership in marriage goes beyond financial contribution.
“You haven’t found a team until you find a husband and wife who understand who they are and work together as one,” she added.
Awosika and her husband married in 1990 and have three children.
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