Thirty-five years ago, Tunji Olugbodi could not afford a honeymoon. He remembers this without embarrassment; he offers it like a punchline wrapped in gratitude. The memory has aged into something brighter: proof that foundations matter more than frills.
He is the Executive Vice Chairman and Group CEO of Verdant Zeal Group, a communications enterprise he launched in 2007. His wife, Biyi, is the quiet pillar normally credited with giving the marriage its steadiness. They celebrate their 35th anniversary this week, a milestone he marked with a tribute that called her the best decision of his life.
Their story has grown beyond domestic devotion. Both received chieftaincy titles in June 2025: Asiwaju and Yeye Asiwaju of Ara Kingdom in Osun State. The honours reward their community work and confirm their place in a civic landscape that sees service as the truest status symbol.
The success of Verdant Zeal shows Tunji’s instinct for reinvention. He left a senior role at Prima Garnet to start the company and built it into a multi-venture hub spanning advertising, events, and travel. Global platforms like the World Economic Forum and the University of Cambridge have hosted him. However, he usually tells younger entrepreneurs that a career expands only when the home stays anchored.
That anchor has a name. Associates describe Biyi as the dependable partner whose calm steadies his constant motion. She manages the home front with precision, offering the quiet infrastructure that allows his professional world to stretch without snapping. Their partnership mirrors the values he repeats again and again: strong families build strong societies.
The marriage has endured pressures common to high-paced careers. Their resilience is stitched into small details: faith, shared routines, and a willingness to grow at similar speeds. The absence of an early honeymoon has become a symbol of what they chose instead, which was commitment without embellishment. Their journey suggests that marriages called “made in heaven” usually begin with choices made on earth.
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