The matrimony is an aberration that underscores how far we’ve sunk as a people and a nation. It is a frightening symptom of the collapse of our value system and the desecration of our once exemplary and sacred ethos.
Over the weekend, the crisis rocking the marriage of Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, and her estranged husband, Senator Ned Nwoko, took a turn for the worse with both parties releasing more damning and startling information about what transpired between them that resulted in a once beautiful, lovely and peaceful marriage becoming an embarrassingly painful spectacle and scandal-ridden union. The disconcerting and troubling dimension their marriage has taken is not surprising to many, who, from the moment their union became public knowledge, not only questioned the logic and motive behind it but also expressed their misgivings about its long-term success and the ability to weather the storm that the surreality of their union will cause.
It is hard not to see the reason in the thought process of people whose reaction to their marriage borders on implicit disapproval and disdain. A 58-year-old man marrying a 17-year-old girl will never look like a normal occurrence rooted in sound decision or wise judgment to any right-thinking person. The dynamic between the couple will be surreal, and the balance of power will be heavily tilted in favour of the man. Before long, their relationship dynamics will definitely begin to shift from that of a husband and wife to that of a father and a daughter as the man seeks to dominate and impose her will on the impressionable but free-spirited teenager who wants to explore and enjoy her youth to the fullest without the inhibition that marrying as a teenager will likely toss in her way.
The disconcerting revelation made by both parties— where they both try to downplay the role they play in the ugly impasse while painting the other as the perverse architect of their misfortune— as their relationship irreparably broke down and their marital saga gets even messier does not automatically confer on those, who have somewhat predicted the disgraceful turn of event and the unsettling imbroglio we are now witnessing, the freedom to gloat about the situation of Nwoko and Daniels. They don’t get the liberty to mock Daniels or the free pass to malign Nwoko.
The latest wave of accusation, counteraccusation and jarring disclosures.
Nwoko, in a lengthy social media post, in which he chronicled his side of the story, disclosed how Regina Daniels’ brother, Sammy, on several occasions came to his house to foment trouble, disrupt the peace and serenity of his household as he harassed his children and domestic workers. According to him, he always acted in an aggressive, dangerous and reckless manner that endangered the safety of everyone in his house. He disclosed that he sponsored the education of Sammy and helped him set up his music business, adding that he had sent over N125 million in upkeep to Rita Daniels, Regina’s mother.
The senator also claimed that Sammy, his girlfriend NK, one Lawrence, Destiny, Sonia, and others were the ones who introduced and supplied Regina Daniels with the illegal substance she became addicted to, which eventually led to her rehabilitation. According to him, they were deeply involved in the use of these substances themselves, and they would later become an albatross to Daniels’ rehabilitation and a calm, cleaner life not tainted by the smudge of drug addiction. He noted that he found their indulgence in these immoral and socially unacceptable behaviours reprehensible.
“When Regina started her rehabilitation, there was a clear instruction by the doctors to strictly restrict people, especially her enablers, from having access to her. The therapy was arranged after I noticed troubling changes in her behaviour linked to her dependence on certain illegal substances, including going for 48 hours without sleeping and eating every two hours.
“Unfortunately, Sammy, Destiny, some of their siblings, together with a few of their friends, notably Sonia Uche Montana among others, constantly defied those instructions. They would come into the house uninvited, sometimes forcing their way in, and would bring her the same drugs she was being treated for. Instead of helping her recover, they encouraged her addiction and completely frustrated the efforts of the doctors and therapists working with her,” Nwoko said.
In her rebuttal, the actress, who claimed that the drug addiction allegations have destroyed her life, stated that she trusted Nwoko so much that she entrusted him with her sex tape. The movie star said she hopes that the sex tape never gets leaked, adding that Nwoko had always been a step ahead of her negatively.
She said, “Yes, everyone, it is now history that Regina Daniels did drugs because that was what her husband wanted, believe it or not. Dearest ex-husband, thanks for breaking the crown you put on my head. No one knew us like us, and I trusted you with all of me, even with my sex tape, which I pray never sees the light. But you have always been a step ahead negatively. Foolish me! When I married you at 17, was I on drugs? I thank God for time. My name is ruined for now but I will rewrite my story! That narrative will be dead and gone.”
Daniel also stated that she was never married to her now estranged husband as their union did not have legal backing. The actress admitted that she was battling drug addiction but that was not the cause of their dispute. He said their estrangement was a result of his alleged plan to deny her access to her loved ones. She noted that the drug issue was being exploited by Nwoko because it would make for a perfect story in the media.
“Fine, I did drugs. So what? Is that even the issue between us? The moment we had a fight, you rushed to the public shouting ‘drugs, drugs, drugs,’ because you knew it would make a perfect story for the media, something dramatic enough to distract everyone from the real issue
No matter the angle or perspective one wants to look at the unfortunate situation from, one thing that every half-decent human and a dispassionate observer of the unpleasant and messy situation can all agree on is that the marriage of Nwoko to Daniels should not have happened in the first place. It is a union built on quicksand of greed, lust, manipulation and domination. It is bound to crumble at some point. When the balance of power in marriage is tilted heavily in favour of the one with money, influence, power, superior age advantage, it is then only a matter of time before the vast age gap, the difference in social outlook, general life principles, disposition and ideology begin to chip away at the facade of blissful and peaceful marriage.
Their union is a reflection of a system and society that has lost its way, where money and power have now pushed dignity and honour to the bottomless pit of impunity and degeneracy. Where morality, scruple, and integrity have been cornered into the inner and dark chambers of impropriety and decadence. The matrimony is an aberration that underscores how far we’ve sunk as a people and a nation. It is a frightening symptom of the collapse of our value system and the desecration of our once exemplary and sacred ethos.
Regina Daniels did not just marry a man, she married a symbol. An embodiment of how wealth beguiles youth, how old power lashes on to exploit the innocence of an inchoate mind, and how society extols perversion when it comes wrapped in the tinfoil of hedonism and materialism. Nwoko is not just an old man with money, clout and influence. He is the very system that Daniels is trying to fight; connected, untouchable, and an old war horse and a member of the old order, that buys beauty to mask decay.
Regina represents a generation whose general outlook about life is shaped by the creed of getting rich by any means necessary. Behind the facade and the fairytale lies the real Nigeria, where men become older but not wiser, where young women lose their freedom to the rapacity of fame, where drugs numb the pain, and luxury conceals the forlorness. This is not a love story; it is a parable of power and how easily innocence becomes a sacrificial lamb in the bargain between avarice and survival.
The marital imbroglio is our collective tragedy – systemic failure of values. The failure of a system where betrothal and marrying off of emotionally fragile teenagers to old men, who use their bodies to launder their sins, reinvigorate their ageing bodies and cleanse their corrupt souls, has become a norm. The failure of mothers who traded their daughters for comfort and financial gains. Who bartered integrity and self-worth for luxury and materialism. Her mother gave up compelling maternal instinct and discretion for the pleasure of vulgarity.
While we may not hear the last of the Nwoko and Daniels Saga anytime soon, we must work tirelessly to destroy the system that made such an iniquity and debasement possible in the first place and replace it with one that not only frowns against it but also punishes anyone who indulges in it.
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