2025: I got married!

I started 2025 on a mixed note. Toward the end of 2024, I had been laid off from one of my roles in November, and around the same period, I was rejected for what I considered a “big boy” tech role. That year came with its fair share of rejections, and by January, I found myself relying mostly on freelancing as a designer.

In February, I decided to surprise my wife (then my girlfriend) by visiting her in Regina, Saskatchewan. While I was there, I received a verbal job offer from a company. Wanting to be fully prepared for the role, I flew back to Toronto the same day to get ready for resumption. More importantly, it felt good knowing I would finally be closer to my wife. I was honestly tired of the long-distance life.

I sold some of my property in Toronto and bought a flight ticket to relocate to Regina. Then, unexpectedly, the company that gave me the offer completely ghosted me. I sent follow-up emails repeatedly and only received responses when they felt like replying. Everywhere first blur. I’ll write about that experience another time, but please when you spot toxic companies, stay far away from them.

In June, that same company reached out again, asking if I was still interested and inviting me for a “refresher” interview. By then, I had secured a fairly decent part-time role alongside my freelancing, but I decided to attend the interview anyway. Eventually, I received a formal offer letter to resume in August.

The only challenge was that my wife and I had already purchased tickets to Nigeria for November, having concluded that our wedding would no longer be held in the UK. I communicated everything transparently to my manager, who said we could “work something out.” I also put it in writing, hoping we would sit down to negotiate, perhaps remote work or unpaid leave. To my greatest surprise, on October 3rd, after watching part of the Holy Ghost Service (International Youth Convention), I was called into a meeting with my manager and the VP. I was handed a termination letter. Everywhere blur again! My head was spinning. This was just weeks before my wedding.

As a strong believer in God, I knew something bigger was unfolding, but that didn’t make the pain any easier. Thankfully, I had received an interview invitation a few days before that termination. I followed through with it, and that’s where I work now. A much better role. A more senior position. One I’m truly grateful for.

While many people take time off for their wedding, I couldn’t afford to. We had multiple family projects running concurrently, and I had just lost one of my major sources of income. During every layover, Toronto and Paris, I worked. Even a day before the wedding, I was still meeting deadlines.

Some people were upset that I didn’t make out time to see them. What they didn’t know was that while planning the wedding (thank God for my incredible wife, friends & family who helped immensely with complex logistics) I was also working tirelessly to meet KPIs. Expenses were whelming, and wedding costs were only one part of many financial responsibilities I was juggling. To anyone I couldn’t show up for, I’m truly sorry, I was just trying to hold everything together.

Another group of people were upset about not being invited to the wedding. First of all, I’m sorry. We had very clear criteria for invitations:

• Had we spoken or chatted in the last 3–6 months?

• Is the person based in Lagos?

• Outside of school or church, do we genuinely have a relationship?

• Is the person reachable on WhatsApp?

• Is the person a blood relative?

Beyond these, we wanted a small, intentional wedding. Inviting everyone I’ve ever known would have turned it into a carnival, and that wasn’t our desire. So once again, my apologies.

All things considered, 2025 has been a landmark year for my wife and me. It tested us deeply, stretched us emotionally, financially, and spiritually, but it also positioned us for something far better. And for that, we remain grateful to God.