What Name Do You Call Your Spouse?

Labake Adekunle & Olamide Balogun

Omolola Sola OjoCertain practices are culture-specific. While in other climes it is not considered unusual for a young woman to call her husband, mother or father-in-law and so on by their first names irrespective of age differences, in Africa, especially in Nigeria, it is considered an anomaly. Here, also, couples seem to believe that it is somehow inappropriate to call their partners by their first names, and choose rather to adopt one form of romantic appellation or the other.
What do you call your spouse?
Ganiyat Oyetoro, Vivian Umeh and Labake Adekunle sought people’s view on this practice. Excerpts:

Wale Akinpelu (Pensioner):
I call her ‘Mummy’, because she is now a big woman.

Oni Funmilola (Teacher):
I call him ‘Sweetheart’ because he is very dear to me above anyone else.

Shonibare Adedokun (Student):
I call him ‘My love’, and he is very dear to me.

Elizabeth Olarinde (Trader):
My personal name for him is ‘Darling’. I have always called him darling, even during our courtship days.

Taiwo Adejumo (Automobile dealer):
‘Dear’ is what I call my wife, because of my love for her.

Asimiyu Badmus (Trader):
I call my wife by our son’s first name as a mark of respect for her, because she has given me a child. I used to call her by her first name before we got married.

Mrs. U. B. Okochi (Teacher):
I call him so many names such as ‘Daddy’, ‘Darling’, ‘Honey’ and at times by our first child’s name, because of how he cares for me.

Kehinde Fabunmi (Student):
I call him by his nickname, which means love and care.

Mrs. Otunuga Olusola (Journalist):
I call him ‘Daddy Victor’ as a sign of respect for him as a father. I had a way of talking to him before we got married; then I called him names like ‘My dear’, ‘Darling’ etc. I started calling him ‘Daddy Victor’ when we gave birth to our first son.

Bayo Olaoluwa (Banker):
I call her ‘Baby Girl’. It is spontaneous; it depends on how I feel sometimes. I call her ‘Madam’, ‘Woman’ and sometimes I use her name.

Ireti Ishola (Banker):
‘Damsel’ or other special names like ‘Queen’ or ‘Princess’. My favourite is ‘Princess’. I call her exactly what she means to me.

Toyin Philips (Communicator):
I call him ‘My Dear’, ‘Honey’ or ‘Sweetheart’. I call him that because he will need my words of endearment.

Okunola Amos (Banker):
I call her by our children’s names, because we are used to it.

Mrs. Adaobi Obi (Trader):
I call him ‘Ugogbe’, which means ‘mirror’.

Mr Silas (Businessman):
I call her ‘Mama Chibuzor’, my son’s name. It is because we are used to it.

Mrs. Omolara Sola-Ojo (Banker):
I call him ‘Hubby’, ‘Ifunaya’ (love). I choose to call him that because out of all the guys, he is the one I fell in love with.

Mr. Samson Akindoye (Policeman):
When I’m in a good mood, I call her ‘Honey’ but sometimes, I call her ‘Mrs. Akindoye’.

Mr. Adabale Saheed (Policeman):
I call her ‘Love’, because that is what her parents call her.

Mrs. Mary Aju Onuma (Trader):
I call him ‘Husband’, ‘Darling’. I also call him by our first daughter’s name.

Mr. Azeez Abiodun (Trader):
I call my wife ‘My Dear’ because it’s the appropriate word to call her.

Mrs. C. Egwuatu (Businesswoman):
I call him ‘Darling’ because he is dear to me.

Mr. Owolabi Lekan (Insurer):
It depends on my mood. I call her ‘Sweetheart’, or ‘Baby’.

Demola Adekunle (Journalist):
I address her by her name or the name of our first child.

Femi Oyelade (Banker):
It depends on my mood. When I’m in a good mood, I call her ‘Baby’, but if I’m just okay or indifferent, I call her by name.

Otseke Olayemi (Civil Servant):
I have a sweet name for my wife in my language; I call her ‘Temi’ (mine).

Tope Stevens (Computer Analyst):
I call her ‘My Dangote’ or ‘My Sugar’ in order to categorise and differentiate her from other girls, because she is dear to me.

Tunde Adelaja (Banker):
I call her by her name.

Olubusayo Adepoju (Banker):
I call him ‘Sweetheart’ and sometimes I refer to him by his name.

Adebayo Lawrence (Football coach):
I call her ‘Mummy’ or ‘My Wife’ or call her by our first child’s name. It is not that we are illiterates, but because we have given birth to children, and also gotten to a stage to call ourselves that.

Bukky Olaniyan (Businesswoman):
It is my choice to call him ‘Mine’, because he is my own.

Ajibade Kazeem (Trader):
I call her by her name. Actually, that is exactly what I’m used to. Sometimes, I call her by our son’s name..

Mary Owolonse (Student):
I call him by his name or shorten it to ‘Ola’. I believe when we are married, I will use endearing words for him; but now, that is okay.

Okenne Okeke (Trader):
I call her ‘My Sweetheart’, because she is my heart.

Pictures by Peter Emiola