Prominent Nigerian industrialist and society matriarch, Shade Okoya, has opened up about her marriage to billionaire businessman, Chief Razak Okoya, boldly addressing critics who have questioned the age gap in their union.
In a recent interview with BBC Yoruba, the 48-year-old businesswoman and philanthropist reflected on her over two-decade-long marriage to the 85-year-old Eleganza Industrialist, which began when she was just 21.
Despite constant public conversations surrounding their age difference, Shade Okoya made it clear that she has never felt short-changed for marrying a much older man. Rather, she emphasized the joy, stability, and love she has experienced in her marriage.
“My husband has been very generous with me, and defends me anywhere. God said this is where I will be. We met each other, and he liked me and he did not waste time at all,” she said.
Now a celebrated figure in Nigeria’s business and social circles, Shade Okoya has often been admired for her elegance, poise, and influence as the wife of one of Nigeria’s most successful industrialists. Yet, she has also faced years of public scrutiny and assumptions about the sacrifices she may have made.
In her words, she laid those doubts to rest.
“I’m happy in my marriage to him. He is far older than me but I don’t think I ever missed out on anything because I didn’t marry a younger man,” she declared.
Her statement has sparked fresh conversations on love, marriage, and societal expectations, especially in the context of age-gap relationships and the public’s tendency to judge women’s choices.
Married since 1999, the couple has weathered years of public attention with grace, building not only a family but a legacy within Nigeria’s industrial space.
Shade Okoya continues to be an active figure in the business world and social development, showing that her life path though unconventional to some has been one of fulfillment and purpose.
