Blessing, a Nigerian, and Jake, an American, opened up about their extraordinary journey to matrimony, defying cultural expectations and family resistance.
In an interview on Femi Lazarus’s YouTube program, Stories, on Sunday, the couple shared how they got married in Nigeria without any family members present, navigating obstacles with unwavering faith.
Blessing’s childhood was fraught with trauma, living under the strict and harsh care of her stepmother.
She described her upbringing as a time of fear and suppression.
“I grew up in a very strict environment,” she said.
“My dad does not smile; he does not say, ‘How are you?’ If he’s coming back from work, we would pretend to be asleep because your presence alone would get you in trouble.”
Blessing recounted a particularly traumatic incident at age five when her stepmother beat her severely, causing her to lose consciousness for three days.
“She beat me and hit my…