“He calls me ATM, I feed, clothe him and our 4 children” – Woman seeks divorce because her husband refused to work

A woman, Rashidat Oladipupo on Friday September 4, pleaded with Oja Oba/Mapo Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, to dissolve her 23-year-old marriage to her husband, Kassim Oladipupo, on the grounds of laziness, irresponsibility and neglect.

Rashidat further entreated the court to grant her custody of their four children.

“My husband is lazy and never willing to work. I’ve been the breadwinner in our home since we got married 23 years ago. Kassim has no shame and has always feels comfortable with this,” Rashidat explained.

“I have encouraged him on many occasions to take up different jobs but he always displayed no interest in them. Kassim was learning fashion designing when we met. I sponsored his graduation ceremony and bought him a sewing machine and some other tools.

“I told him to look for a shop and I paid for the rent. My lord, my husband never sewed a piece of cloth there. He complained of a thousand and one things and later closed the shop. I work hard to ensure that our children never lack; I leave home early after preparing him and the children breakfast and rush back in the evening to make supper but he still complains I give him no attention” she further stated.

She continued. “I have been paying the house rent and training our children in school for more than two decades since he’s indifferent to their welfare. Our children stopped asking him for their needs a long time a go because he would shout on them and ask them to come to me any time they did.

“Rather than show appreciation for my efforts in seeing that the home is well run, Kassim took to ridiculing me before our children and friends. He always referred to me as ATM. According to him, I never run out of money and I’m always ready to dispense it,”

She added that, “I got him a car worth N830, 000 through a micro finance bank but he derailed in the payment. As his guarantor, I had no other choice than to release the car to the bank since I didn’t have enough resources to make up for the balance.

“Kassim and his family members were bitter and would have preferred that I offered myself to be sold to pay the balance of the debt than have the car withdrawn from him. They took to soiling my reputation and lied that I was dating officials of the bank. My lord, none of his family members ever offered a helping hand since we have been living from hand to mouth as a result of their son’s lazy behaviour,”

“I look worn out and older than my age because of the stress I go through on daily basis but the best I could from Kassim and his family members are insults. My lord, I entreat this honourable court to separate us and grant me custody of our four children so that they don’t suffer, “she pleaded.

However, the defendant Kassim refused to appear in court despite being served three summonses.

Giving his judgment after hearing the plaintiff, the court president, Chief Ademola Odunade stated that the non appearance of the defendant in court after been served three court summonses showed that he was not interested in saving their marriage.

Ruling, Odunade dissolved their marriage and awarded custody of their four children to the plaintiff.

The defendant was asked to give the plaintiff N20, 000 because it was obvious that the defendant is no lo nger interested in their the marriage.