Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and his wife, Abimbola, have shared how mutual respect, personal conviction, and open communication have sustained their interfaith marriage for decades.
Speaking on The Morayo Show, the couple, who are parents of two, reflected on their journey as a Muslim–Christian household and how religious differences never became a source of division.
Fashola, 62, revealed that he was raised in a deeply Christian environment before choosing Islam as an adult. According to him, faith should be rooted in personal belief rather than labels imposed by upbringing.
“I was very fortunate,” Fashola said. “My maternal grandparents were Christians. They were Anglicans. I grew up with my mother, who is Christian. Every Sunday, as the sun shines, I was in St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Ebute Metta.”
He explained that he attended an Anglican school, served as a school prefect, and regularly sang the doxology, noting that until age 18, he had no exposure to Islam.
“I did not grow up with my father; he was in England. I went to an Anglican school. Until I was 18, I knew nothing about Islam,” he said, adding that his eventual conversion was a personal decision.
Fashola also noted that religious diversity has long been a reality within his family, as he has Christian siblings.
“The rule in our house was not about Christianity or Islam. It was that you must serve God. At the end of the day, it is who both of you are,” he said, stressing that belief should come from conviction rather than what he described as a mere “faith tag.”
When asked about the biblical perspective on interfaith unions, Abimbola Fashola dismissed the idea that such marriages are burdensome.
“My yoke has been very beautiful. No cause for complaint at all,” she said. “If God has made you for one another, there is really no yoke anywhere.”
The couple also addressed rumours in the past that threatened to create tension in their marriage, including claims that Fashola had another family in Magodo, Lagos.
Abimbola revealed that the allegation came from her own sisters but said transparency and communication helped prevent mistrust.
“It was from my sisters. They said, ‘Your husband has another family in Magodo,’” she recalled. “Because of the relationship we share, there is nothing we do not say to one another; it is all about communication.”
She added that rather than act on hearsay, she relied on calm dialogue and spiritual guidance.
“Most times when I hear something like that, I wait for the Holy Spirit to direct me,” she said. “I asked him, ‘They said you have another family in Magodo and that you are always going there.’ He said, ‘How many times have I been to Magodo? Maybe during the campaign.’”
Their story, shared candidly on The Morayo Show, offers a rare glimpse into how interfaith marriages can thrive when built on trust, openness, and shared values.
Credit:TheCable
