Teslim Folarin, third term senator representing Oyo central senatorial district and governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, has revealed why religion was never an issue despite being a muslim and married to Angela, who died early this year as christian.
Discussing with celebrated broadcast journalist, Edmund Obilo, on State Affairs, a popular weekly political programme on Splash 105.5 FM, Ibadan just before traveling for lesser hajj (umrah) in Makkah, the Ibadan senior chief, said it has been pretty difficult coping since the death of his wife.
According to him, “Well, it didn’t just hit the society; it also hit me and two boys and our family. It came as a shock to us. She went to England to spend the weekend. Our younger son had exeat. She then embarked on some renovations. And the day she was meant to come back, that Friday was when she passed on. It is very difficult to process.
“But having said that, it is what is. We have to thank Almighty Allah because she lived a very impactful life. And I must thank everyone who showed concern. You can see the pain in people. People were in shock. You know the president, vice president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC governors, Seyi Makinde, my colleagues at the senate and ordinary Nigerians… when I saw how these people came out, I was really moved and I want to thank everybody and I pray they never experience what I experienced because it’s difficult to get closure. It’s like a dream; you don’t believe it happened to you.
“I go through this mood now. Yesterday I saw her brother and I broke down. When I look at my son, I find it difficult to ask him how he is feeling. Sometimes you see that he is in the mood and you begin to wonder whether he is missing his mum but you can’t ask.
“Yesterday, we visited her mausoleum and we all broke down. As you approach, you begin to think it’s like an hospital and she’ll get up and come out. But as you get closer, you’ll realise that this is it.”
Asked how he is going to fill the vacuum created by her demise as she was involved in his politics, Folarin explained that “the vacuum will always be there. It wasn’t just my family, it was my life. She ran my life and that of my family. She was an hands on person. You know her very well. She was a very intelligent woman who reads a lot. She was always ahead of others. She wakes up in the morning and read all Nigerian and international newspapers so you can engage her on any issue and she would stand her ground. She was highly cerebral and we are always going to miss her.
“People ask about I am going to cope and to be honest with you, I don’t know. I don’t know. I just know that my children are now my priority and I have to make sure they are well taken care of. It’s an horrible experience. Some few minutes ago, I spoke with her mother. Just imagine. How do I calm a woman of 78 years of age who just lost her beloved daughter? It’s difficult.
“Ask anybody, they’ll tell you she was a very special woman. She’ll even go behind my back and engage people who are my political opponents and tell them ‘you wrote this about my husband but he is not a bad guy.’ She has invited some to our home to see that I am a normal guy. She is going to be missed by everyone but we can’t question Almighty Allah. It is what it is.”
Is Folarin fasting as he is recovering from his wife’s demise, he answered “Do I have a choice? I am fasting; my son is fasting. And In sha Allah tomorrow, we’ll be departing for the lesser hajj in the holy land. You know, all we can do is to keep thanking God, including for her life.”
“She was a christian, a Catholic and I am a muslim, a practicing one. We lived harmoniously by having respect for one another. Even during Ramadan, she fasted with us. You know she even wanted to convert to Islam. She jokingly said she’ll convert only if I take her to Umrah. But she couldn’t go because of the travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 in the last two years. I am sure if there was no COVID-19, she would have converted. But she died a catholic and you have to respect that.”
His message for Nigerians, he said, “We are going through a difficult time so keep praying for the country. Security challenge is a global thing. You go to the so-called developed countries and you look at the cost of gas, electricity etc… It’s just that they are more organized and they have a better support system.
“The security challenges we are going through, we keep praying for our leaders, praying for the president and all office holders. Praying that Almighty Allah leads them to the right way.”
He said that “If not for politics, what happened have the potential of killing anyone; it’s that bad. It takes my mind away from it. When you say politics, you are talking about people. People would come to me. You can see bags of rice and other foodstuffs around and we are trying to think of how to distribute them. That’s politics. Once you are a politician, you are a politician.”
