17th December, 2013
The acrimonious marital feud between top Yoruba movie actor and actress, Saheed and Fathia Balogun, is degenerating to a war of words as the estranged couple have been exchanging words over the use of names and state of their divorce case.
Fathia, in a statement by her publicist, Seun Oloketuyi, made available to P.M.NEWS yesterday accused Saheed of ‘lying and immature’ over his claim that he knew nothing of the reports that the couple were in court over her continuous use of his surname.
“We will like to put the records straight. The case is in court and our team of lawyers are on it to ensure that Fathia retains the name. We won’t be saying much at this time but we believe that adults should be bold and mature enough to take responsibility for their actions and not do something and say something else,” Oloketuyi, Fathia’s publicist stated.
Fathia who said she would no longer respond to any statement on the issue, was however said to be keen on retaining the name that has become her brand equity.
Meanwhile as the brickbats rage on, Saheed, who has remained mute since the divorce case became public, admitted that they were in court, but not in respect of her estranged wife dropping his surname.
“I never lied to anyone. Some journalists presented me with a rumour that had no basis, so I simply stated that I do not want my private life made public. It is my privacy and concerns nobody. I decided to stay quiet as the two parties involved in this issue are over 40 years old. I think we are old enough to handle this issue maturely instead of turning our private matters into a public gossip debate,” Saheed explained in a statement.
The actor said he separated from Fathia in 2006, which is over seven years ago, and since they were married legally in court, he has chosen to end the union in the court. “The public can go to the Lagos High Court to verify these records. This has absolutely nothing to do with any name. I am not asking or forcing Fathia to stop using the name ‘BALOGUN’, as it is one of the most common Yoruba names,” he stated.
He also revealed that his union with Fathia produced two children and not three, as being bandied around by some people. “Fathia’s first child is from a different husband that she later divorced before we were married,” the actor revealed.
Saheed and Fathia Balogun’s divorce was one of the most reported in the entertainment industry, with accusations and counter-accusations over infidelity and battering becoming a staple on both mainstream and online media for a long time.
Before the estranged couple confirmed their separation, tales of domestic violence over infidelity trailed their marriage. At a time, they publicly assaulted each other but later reconciled after Saheed had a terrible accident along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
In 2009, many thought the end to the crisis had come when female politician Oluremi Adikwu intervened and brought the feuding couple together during her Iwuye ceremony as Lika Aje of Owu kingdom, Abeokuta, Ogun State, but the ceasefire ended after both arrived Lagos.
P.M.NEWS gathered that while their marriage is yet to be dissolved; the couple have been individually linked romantically with various people. Fathia has been linked to different socialites, including a popular movie marketer who many allegedly contributed substantially to her marital woes. Saheed, on his part, at a point was on the verge of settling down with young actress Funke Adesiyan until the bubble burst and they parted ways.
—Funsho Arogundade