‘Imagine entering a marriage preparing for its funeral’ – Bashir El-Rufai’s ex-wife opens up

Halima Nwakego, ex-wife of Bashir El-Rufai, has opened up about her divorce, heartbreak and experience as a single mother, revealing that she had doubts about her marriage even before it began.

Halima shared her experience in a post published on her substack, Memoirs of a Single Nigerian Twin Mum with ADHD.

She revealed that her marriage to Bashir, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ended in July 2024.

The couple married in 2020 and welcomed twin boys in 2021.

Bashir had announced the end of the marriage, describing the situation as “Gen Z wahala”, before later apologising publicly over the way he disclosed the separation.

Reflecting on her mindset before and during the marriage, Halima said she never had much faith in the institution and believed the union would eventually end.

“Imagine entering a marriage already preparing for its funeral,” she wrote.

She also disclosed that she fell in love with another man months after her divorce, but the relationship later ended in heartbreak.

“There is a saying that men will stain your white,” she noted.

Despite her reservations about men, Halima said she still had strong faith in love.

“For someone with so little faith in men, I have a ridiculous amount of faith in love,” she added.