A 45-year-old Nigerian woman has shared an emotional account of how she allegedly gave up her successful fashion business in Lagos after her husband persuaded her to relocate to their newly completed home in Ibadan, only for him to remain in Lagos months after the move.

The woman, identified as Kosoko Zainab Adepeju on Facebook, said she initially opposed the relocation because she had an established tailoring business with several apprentices and a steady income. However, after pressure from both families and encouragement from others, she agreed to move with their children.

Before relocating, she said she distributed her apprentices among trusted fashion designers and helped some complete their training. During the move, her husband instructed that only the family’s belongings be loaded onto the truck, explaining that another vehicle would later transport his personal items.

According to her, he returned to Lagos the following day, claiming he had secured a multimillion-naira job that needed to be completed before relocating permanently. Weeks turned into months, with what she described as repeated excuses for his continued stay in Lagos.

Five months later, she said she travelled to Lagos unannounced, only to discover that their former apartment had new occupants. She also claimed she was unable to reach her husband after confronting him over the phone and was informed at his former workplace that he no longer worked there.

After involving both families, she said her husband eventually contacted her and told her to remain in the Ibadan house with their children while he continued living and working in Lagos in a rented apartment.

She further alleged that when she threatened to return to Lagos, he insisted she would have to provide accommodation herself, adding that he would not live in a house paid for by his wife because he already owned a home. According to her, he proposed visiting the family only once a month.

The woman also lamented that her tailoring business has struggled to survive in her new location, saying customers expect to pay very low prices for her work despite her years of experience.

She wrote:

“So my husband completed our house in one of the uncivilized area in Ibadan. We were living in Lagos and we were both doing well in our jobs. I’m a fashion designer with many apprentices and I was doing so financially okay.

Before we moved to Ibadan, we had a misunderstanding relocating because I didn’t want to relocate since I was doing fine and can’t imagine starting a fresh from a land im strange in entirely. And he started reporting me around which both my family and his family supported that wherever my husband is is where I should be too that I should follow him to Ibadan.

It was a very painful moment that I struggled to accept and someone encouraged me that if I can make it in Lagos that I can do better too there that I should forget it’s an uncivilized area. So after back and forth, I accepted.

I had to place my apprentices to different trusted fashion designers that I know they are good. I shared about my 12 apprentices to 6 fashion designer while I rushed to do freedom for four apprentices who I trust that they are capable on their own.

After that a day before the truck would come to pack our loads we were packing all our luggages to one corner with my two boys who are in secondary school and their sister in primary school and my husband was like we should park our own and leave his that he would know how to pack them by himself.

So when truck came, we started from my tailoring machines and all before our loads. After we finished packing my husband told the truck not to pack his that theirs a bus coming to pack his own.

I’m like this truck still has some little space and it can contain half of his belongings and he said it doesn’t change the fact that he would still pay for the bus that we should be going a bus would come and pack his own. So we all travelled together that day with our own car and the next day he came back to Lagos that the bus that would pack his belongings was around.

Just that evening he called that a job quickly entered for him and it’s multi million deals that he want to quickly do it before he start directing his customers to Ibadan.

I was angry but had to accept after two weeks we didn’t see him. I called him and he said the job was much and it would take a week more. Okay fine! March ended and he still didn’t come. We moved to our new house in January 30th.

I called him and he started giving one excuses to another. I have my children here and I do not want to leave them here because it’s not safe.

So in June 30 which made it 5 months we left. I summoned the courage to go to Lagos un announced and when I got to our former house he was not there and infact new occupant was there.

My heart sank. That this must be a joke. I called him and asked if he was still in our former house and he said yes. I said I’m there right now and can’t find you then the hung up the call. I called him but his number wasn’t reachable again.

I had to go to his place of work and I was told he isn’t here again and it’s a lie I know how his place looks like and could tell there was no new occupant. I slept in a friends place that day and started calling him and still wasn’t reachable.

My children were complaining I didn’t tell them I would stay long and so I had to be travel back to Ibadan to meet them since it was Sunday and they would need to go to school on Monday.

Then I started reporting him to families. Then he now called and told me I and the children should stay in our new site while he continue working in Lagos. That he has rented a room selfcon for him self and I said impossible…You made me leave my all there only for you to stay back which wasn’t in our agreement. This same you wwas on my neck when I didn’t want to agree to come here.

He now said, over the years he has been the one paying house rent for the two bedroom flat we were leaving. That I never helped him and now instead of paying it that he has provided a shelter for us.

I threatened to come back to Lagos too but he said if I come back that I would be responsible for the shelter and that to make it easy he won’t live with us because he can’t be living in a house where a female is paying while he has his own house.

That he would be coming Friday to Sunday once in a month.

Here that I am there’s no much customers and the little that comes they are expecting me to sow clothes for 1k,2k… Infact if you call 3k they would turn and be going. Is that what I would be using my life to do now???

I’m so pained. Please my dear sister. Please post for me for advice I’m 45 years old. What should I do?”