I Knew My Marriage Would End Before It Began – Bashir El-Rufai’s Ex Wife

Halima Kazaure, the former wife of Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has spoken on the end of her marriage and her experience raising twin boys as a single mother.

Naija News reports that Kazaure revealed that her marriage to Bashir ended in 2024, when their twin sons were two years old.

She shared the experience in a personal essay titled “Memoirs of a Single Nigerian Twin Mum with ADHD,” published on her Substack on Wednesday.

The lawyer used the essay to discuss divorce, motherhood, relationships, heartbreak and the emotional challenges that came with trying to appear strong while dealing with personal struggles.

She said she had always been doubtful about marriage because of the kind of relationships she saw while growing up.

According to her account, she entered her own marriage with fears that it might eventually fail.

Kazaure said the end of her marriage left her facing the reality of raising her children alone.

She wrote: “I became a single mother when my boys were two. My marriage ended in 2024. The truth is that I had never had much faith in marriage. I didn’t grow up surrounded by enough examples that convinced me men were particularly safe places to put your heart. Somewhere inside me, I think I knew my marriage would end before it even began. Imagine entering a marriage already preparing for its funeral.

“Then my marriage actually ended. And somehow, several months later, I fell in love again. Of course I did. For someone with so little faith in men, I have a ridiculous amount of faith in love. I trusted again. Hoped again. Imagined again. And got my heart broken again.

“There is a saying that men will stain your white. The irony is that I love wearing white. I spent almost an entire month wearing white to work. This is a terrible choice because I am clumsy and perpetually rushing. My friend at work asks me: ‘Why do you bother wearing white? Every time we eat, you stain yourself?’”