Albert Gbolahan Omotayo, the former Nigerian Ambassador to Mozambique, has unveiled his latest literary contribution, a book titled “Fifty Reasons Why I Love You.” Presented to the public in Abuja, the book aims to foster stronger family ties in Nigeria and contribute to nation-building.
During the presentation, Omotayo, who served as the Private Secretary to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and later as the Head of State, expressed his concern about the ongoing challenges facing the institution of marriage. He characterized the battle against marriage and family as both fierce and sustained, yet soft and elusive.
Omotayo highlighted the alarming trend of the marriage institution heading towards extinction, with societal acceptance of infantilism and criminal propensities as a concerning “new normal.” He emphasized that the rate of separation and divorce in the country is escalating, pointing out that combating this trend requires a foundation of true love and a robust marriage institution.
In addition to presenting his book, Omotayo inaugurated the Qoodrat Adebola Abeni Omotayo Literary Award (QAAOLA) in honor of his wife. He reiterated that promoting true love and strengthening the institution of marriage is crucial to counteracting the prevailing socio-intellectual movements that view marriage as a form of bondage that should be broken.
“The rate of separation and divorce is soaring everywhere; the socio-intellectual movements which articulate marriage to be bondage that must be broken are gaining more ground, and their disciples are fast growing,” Omotayo noted. “The world is getting drowned deeper in the sea of consumerism and instant creation, the root of worldwide economic hardship and interpersonal intolerance, which is in turn pushing our humanness to a dangerous limit and making ordinary relationships increasingly more difficult to maintain.”
