Couples need to understand marriage before they enter, says IBWNM president

The founder and president of the Ibadan Wives and Mum (IBWNM), Mrs. Opeoluwa Ike, has advised couples to understand what marriage entails before they sign the dotted lines.

Speaking on Sunday, Ike said the group would continue to advocate for peace in different homes, just as she charged young ladies to understand the rudiment of marriage before they enter into the institution.

She said “Marriage is for adults, not babies” just as she added that immaturity is the problem of divorce in our society today.

Ike disclosed that the group has been helping to build solid homes in the last six years of its existence through regular training and human capacity building.

She said IBWNM focuses on women’s mental health, either married or single mums, and general well-being.

She said: “In the last six years, we have achieved a lot by extending our gesture to individual groups and during the iftar, we feed 300 Muslims, both men, women, and children.

“We have given confidence to women who have low self-esteem and help each other in different ways- marriage, raising kids, and businesswise. We have to empower ourselves and others, but our target is strictly married women and single mums.

“Every woman deserves sisterhood, someone they can rely on and call for advice and share the same mindset together, so they need to find a group like this and join because the achievement is a lot.”

Meanwhile, a marriage counselor, Pastor Tomi Olopade, has encouraged women to stay in a positive mental state and not allow anything to steal their joy, no matter what they are going through.

Pastor Olopade said: “Forget being a wife or being a mother, but find yourself first and be strong for yourself. Sometimes, women attach their joy to their husbands; children, but sometimes you have to find your joy in yourself because you can’t give what you don’t have. As a woman, we depend so much on what our husbands give us, and sometimes the disappointment comes from them. However, marriage is good.

“A lot of people go into marriage, they don’t know anything about it, marriage is beyond money and beauty, but you have to read about it, study people who have success about marriage, you can even ask them questions, what is the secret of your happy marriage, read books about it, watch video, go for seminars.”