“I will Not Change My Surname After Marriage”_ Toke Makinwa

Toke Makinwa, a popular Nigerian media personality, expressed on her podcast that she doesn’t plan to adopt her partner’s surname when she gets married. Having experienced a divorce previously, Toke shared that retaining her last name during her marriage proved beneficial, sparing her the complexities of a name reversal post-divorce.

She stated, “I kept my last name when I got married. It was supposed to be Toke Makinwa-Ayida, but it was only at home that he called me Mrs. Ayida. I hope that whoever I end up with next would actually love it because Toke Makinwa is staying. I don’t want to hyphenate. But my kids can bear their father’s surname. In my marriage, my bank details, my passport, nothing changed. Imagine what I would have gone through trying to change it back when we got divorced. I have built this brand with my blood, sweat, and tears.”