Even if one does not like Rukayya Umar Santa Dayya, one cannot deny the fact that she is beautiful, easy-going, full of life and friendly. When she got married to an Abuja-based land surveyor, Adamu Teku, two years ago in an elaborate ceremony attended by who-is-who in Kannywood, there was open rumour all over the place that the groom had married 24 times before Rukayya. Initially, according to Kannywood source, Adamu Teku had wanted to marry Samira Ahmed, a close friend of Rukayya Dawayya, but she was said to have turned down his proposal probably because she was committed to her present husband, Tanimu Yahuza Sha’aban and, instead she linked him up with Dawayya. One will be surprised with Hajiya Dawayya’s resources and connection, she could not extend her investigation of Adamu Teku up to Adamawa, his former base and why, as people may ask, did she jump into marrying him after only two months of courtship?
The Kaduna-based Fim magazine, the authentic voice of Kannywood, in one of its best fact-finding interview so far, translated by ALIYU ASKIRA, interviewed the actress-cum-producer and now mother of one and divorce in a bid to get to know why the two year-old marriage crashed, though there are something she claimed she will not make public because, head or tail, Adamu Teku is still the father of her only child, Arafat.
With the collapse of your marriage it will confirm to the notion that you Film actresses don’t stay put whenever you get married?
People should discard that assertion and accept the fact that whatever God destines to happen it will come to pass no matter how one tried to change it to the contrary.
If one can recall, your marriage is only two years old, yet it crashed, who are we to blame in this case?
Well God is my witness. It was unfortunate that I married a man that has no value for marital institution. Because I was told he divorced over fifteen different women before me and as such mine should not be and exception.
Do you have proof that your former husband is the type that changes women like cloth?
Of course yes, my son, Arafat, is his eleventh child and all of them are from different mothers apart from some women that he married and divorce before they bear him a child. His wife in the house now is the seventh and she told me he married about fifteen other women apart from her and she is the seventh so we are talking of more than 23 women.
If that is the case Rukayya, did you try to find out details about him before your marriage?
Well, I did but it was only in Abuja where he is staying. I did not go to his home town in Adamawa State. All I did was to find out about his religious commitment and whether the job is doing is legal. But after I married him, his own grown up daughter that is staying with me exposed everything to me that even in their village, people used to mock his children that their father is (Mai Auri Saki). They hardly mix freely with people.
For how long did you people court each other before marriage?
Only two months. All I wanted then was to get married and settle down and when he approached me for marriage I did not give conditionality, I accepted. My intention was to make the marriage work.
After you realized what type of person he was or is, what precaution did you take?
I did all I could, including prayers and total submission to him to make the marriage work. I never gave up and never contemplated he will divorce me. He even used to tell me I am different from the other women he married before. All these encouraged me a lot to stay on but yet we parted. I started noticing changes in him immediately I got pregnant, off course I was told earlier that he does not want more children but I endured all. Yet the unexpected had happened. He never told me himself that he does not want more children but he laid down some rules to me that are purely un-Islamic. In fact I cannot mention them on pages of newspaper because at least he is still the father of my child.
After you got pregnant did he still cater for your needs?
Thank God I have my money before I married him. He kept me in purdah, but my money was into the market. People were doing business for me and so I took good care of myself, at least I own myself, my body and my health.
Then why did he divorce you, did you quarrel or something?
Well, to me the closest explanation I can offer is that he just wanted me to go. Because he created an environment that no woman will accept to bear, a times he will ask me if I regret marrying him and I will say no he did all he could to frustrate me but I endured. In fact I told him severally that I will never do (Yaji) or to ask for divorce. Recently, one week after last Small Sallah, Eid El Fitr, my mother came to Kano from Saudi Arabia and I asked him that I want to go and see her. He asked me how many days do I want to be away. I said five and he agreed. When I left, he never call me for days and on the third day he sent me a text and said he divorced me that after my (Iddah) I should marry whoever I wish. Of course he sacked me before now but as for whether it is (Saki Uku), well everything is over Sai dai wani Adamun.
Is he planning to get married again?
Yes, I learnt that he has finalized plans to marry one young girl that has just finished secondary school. And he wants my house to put her. At a point also when I became close to his wife that is now in the house he became worried because he knew she will brief me about his secrets that I don’t know. She told me everything about him that he has another woman he married from Cairo, Egypt, when he was about to marry me he sent her home, and she is yet to return.
What is next on your card?
Well, I want to marry again as quickly as possible, but for now I will concentrate on producing films. As for acting, I am yet to decide on that. My joy is that I got a bouncing baby boy that I am proud of. And I got him legally through proper marriage, Alhamdullahi.
