THE drama started penultimate Thursday morning when music producer Tunji Balogun aka Teebillz went public, hitting his wife, pop star Tiwa Savage via Instagram, in a series of now infamous rants. The accusations – infidelity on Tiwa’s part, his mother-in-law practising witchcraft and a condemnation of his father – painted the couple’s marriage as over. That same morning, reports also rented the internet of his attempted suicide on the Lekki/Ikoyi link bridge and it took the duo of Peter Okoye and Banky W to get him off his suicidal act. It was a shock to many who wondered what could have happened.
In Nigerian entertainment circles, the now short-lived marriage was a model. Even when Tiwa sacked her husband as manager, fans were curious about the union but the parties kept a bold front. Even Lil Kesh, the hitherto YBNL prince epitomised their union in a song.
However, for Tiwa, her husband’s Thursday act was the final straw. In a recorded interview conducted early Friday morning, the pop singer told her own side of the story. According to her, Teebillz was the cocaine sniffing and debt racking partner that wanted to live off his superstar wife’s income. She also accused him of infidelity and lack of empathy when she suffered a miscarriage.
As it is now, Tiwa and Teebillz’s break-up has been the subject of various discussions. And from Freeze to Uti Nwachukwu to Mercy Aigbe to Charly Boy to Dele Momodu, commentators have feasted on their marriage, analysing what went wrong, what could have been and nearly every imaginable angle. While Tiwa has her fans who support her actions, some others are of the impression that she sold her marriage short.
Though OAP Daddy Freeze initially castigated Tiwa, saying her interview will make Teebillz more suicidal and a lawyer wanted to sue Tiwa for defamation, he later retracted his statement and prayed for the couple.
“’I love you Tiwa, I love you Billz, there is a light at the end of this tunnel, GOD is your strength and he will see you through this,” he said.
On Linda Ikeji’s blog, a pathology report purported to be Teebillz’s surfaced on Friday.
According to the report, Teebillz’s friends took him for a drug test at Clina Lancet laboratories and ‘Teebillz tested negative for the use of Cocaine, Cannabis, Ecstasy, Oxycodone & every other form of hard drugs.’
Freeze had said so on Wednesday.
Then, there are those that are peeved at other people’s interference in the couples’ issues. One of those is Tuface Idibia, who was accused by Teebillz of sleeping with Tiwa alongside Don Jazzy and Dr Sid. The African Queen crooner went on Twitter to say, ‘I’m so disgusted at some people that have been making distasteful jokes out of people’s real life heartbreaking predicament. GOD But who is at fault? Depending on which view one looks at the matter, whose side of the argument is considered, there are reasons to justify each party.
Iveren Ityoikaa, who brands herself as a mind engineer, says in celebrity marriages, egos of the parties are very paramount even though there are many reasons that can cause separations.
According to Ityoikaa, there are several reasons why celebrities marry which may be different for the average person. She identified fame, money and power as attractions for celebrity marriages.
“A person who has fame, who goes into entertainment industry has a strong need for approval on a wide scale,” she said.
“They feed on the adulation of their fans, from the crowd. They love that. They bask in that, they love being the centre of attention. So, it is very important for them. They love to be on stage. They love to have every eyes on them. They love to know that because of them, you are happier. And most of the time, they take that into marriage.
“Politicians, entertainers, people that go into industry where they rely a lot on popularity, on fan base, those kind of people, they need, it is not just a want, to be the centre of attention.”
While it is not certain when the borders were crossed for the couple regarding managing fame. No doubt, of the duo, Tiwa was the star, with a growing music career and corporate endorsements, hers was the face that brought the cheese. But could this underlying tension have caused Teebillz to erupt? Or was it Teebillz’s carefree lifestyle which according to Tiwa included cocaine use that caused the rift? According to Ityoikaa, while people can tolerate some excesses, there is a limit.
“Eventually the person will say what I’m getting from this man or what I’m getting from this woman is not enough to satisfy,” she said.
“The person can try for a years but after a while, that person gets tired of being responsible for the other person’s happiness. And that’s when they decide to do other things and they start getting to be unhappy.”
Tiwa Savage had met Teebillz in Los Angeles in 2009 seeking his midas touch to promote her music and brand. And while their relationship transformed into dating, they kept it out of public view. On February 6, 2013 Teebillz proposed to Tiwa in Lagos during her 33rd birthday party. A grand traditional wedding on November 23, 2013 in Lekki, Lagos and a fairy tale wedding on April 26, 2014 in Dubai followed, cementing their union officially. Tiwa gave birth to son, Jamil on July 22, 2015.
As it is, Teebillz has become a pariah of sorts with reports stating Banky W’s mother has evicted him from Banky W’s house. And, while many celebrities have called on the couple to make their marriage work, Tiwa, in her interview said it is over.
A day before Teebillz’s Instagram rants, Tiwa released a video of If I Start to talk. And several days later she was seen on a making of a new episode of Jenifa’s Diary. However, both she and Teebillz have been silent on Twitter and Instagram. Many are watching and waiting for the silence to be broken.
