Nigerian Celebs Dating Younger Men...Would you Dare, too?

In love, age is no barrier?

If you are a movie buff, you have certainly seen How Stella got her groove back, starring Angela Bassett — a middle-aged woman unlucky in love who finally finds her dream man in a 20-year-old boy and is at first ashamed of her attraction towards him. But the sudden demise of her best friend played by Whoopi Goldberg gives her a new perspective on life and the courage she needs to pursue her love interest. Touching, isn’t it? I found myself unconsciously rooting for Stella’s love for her boy toy, shedding a tear when, at the end, the two finally hugged and said some corny romantic words about their undying love for each other. I was glad Stella chose to stick to her man — well, in her case, boy — damning the world and its hypocritical notion of love. And while Stella got her groove back, a lot of Nigerian women for many years have hidden their cougar (a slang referring to a woman who seeks sexual relations with considerably younger men) status due to societal derogation. It would however seem that the stigma is lifting, as more Nigerian women are openly dating and even marrying their young lovers, not caring what the world thinks; and why should they? We must accept love wherever it finds us, right? Well, these women certainly think so, banishing tradition and living out their dream love lives. And yes, you know them. Let’s start with the couple of the month and the most anticipated wedding of the year: Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo. Peter Okoye, one half of the dynamic singing duo, P-Square, is set to marry his longtime girlfriend and mother of his two children later this month but what many people don’t know about this couple is that Lola is six years older than 34-year-old Peter. Yes, Lola is 40 years old. Dating a man for eight years and hoping he finally puts a ring on it is one thing, having a child for him and still no promise of a future together is a different ball game entirely, not to mention the fact that her competitors for the sexy singer include young girls she could easily mother. The relationship seemed doomed from the start, seeing that as at the start of their love affair, Peter was a struggling artist while Lola Omotayo, who is from a wealthy family, was an executive at advertising firm, FK:G2. But he had no qualms about pursuing his love interest and she in turn, not minding his lowly background, gave her heart to him. She has stuck by her choice over the years, ring or no ring. Now, you may dismiss Lola’s resolve to openly date and have children for a much younger man because of her mixed parentage — her mom is Russian — but what, then, would you say about Dare Art-Alade and his older wife? The not-the-girl crooner has been married for more than six years to his lady love, former Miss Deola Ayeni, who is eight years older than him. While Dare has been careful to keep the details of his marriage close to his heart being the private person that he is, it is clear that the age difference between them has done nothing to diminish the love and respect they have each other. Most men in this part of the world marry older women for their money. Well, Dare didn’t have to. His music career was at its peak at the time of their union, arming him with the freedom to marry whosoever he desired. As love would have it, he so desired Deola, a woman old enough to be his big sister. Another celebrity married to a much younger man is famous dance goddess, Kafayat Shafau-Ameh, fondly known as Kaffy by her legion of dedicated fans. No one would have linked her husband’s boyish good looks with youthfulness until he recently posted an image of his Nigerian passport on social media platforms, consequently revealing his date of birth. As evidenced by the picture of the passport he posted, Joseph Ameh was born on 23rd May 1988 while his wife and mother of his son — heavily pregnant with their second child at the moment — was born in 1980. Kaffy is eight years older than her husband but she doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Another couple proudly flying the flag for the older woman/younger man relationship is celebrity fashion designer, Toyin Lawani and her young fiancé and father-to-be of their unborn baby, Triggerkes as he styles himself. The two are averse to shying away from the public light, even courting the media with photos where they are engrossed in public show of affection. They obviously don’t care what the world thinks and that has liberated them, leaving them with the freedom to love whoever — and however they choose. So, what if you meet your dream guy after so many years of waiting, he turns out to be everything you want and more, unless that you are several years older, would you let a small matter like age stand in the way of your fairytale ending? Share your thoughts, please.