by Tutu Akinlabi

After a tumultuous on-and-off affair which lasted 12 years, news filtered recently of the end of the relationship between media personality, Toke Makinwa and her fitness guru heartthrob, Maje Ayida.

The break-up was first heralded by a series of cryptic tweets from Maje and a tell-all “vlog” from Toke before she finally admitted that they had separated.

The fitness expert and CEO of Eden Lifestyle has finally said his own piece in an interview with ThisDay’s Azuka Ogujiuba.

Excerpts below:

What is Eden Lifestyle all about?

Eden Lifestyle is a wholly indigenous sports and wellness consulting firm with a global outlook and a vision to take ownership of the conversation in the health and fitness landscape in Nigeria and become the reference point in the provision of fitness solutions.

Your company was so visible in 2013. What’s your vision for 2014?

Our aim is to become the foremost wellness company in the land. As such, in 2014 we plan to continue growing, transforming even more lives. Last year has been simply amazing and I give all the glory to God. When I started this company, I had a simple dream to develop wellness facilities in Nigeria, but so much more has happened, teaching me to rapidly broaden my horizons.

If you were to go on an island for an exotic weekend, what are the five things you will take along?

Wifi, workout gear, a good book, a good woman and a good escape clause

You seem quiet but your publicised relationship via social media and blogs just hit the rocks after 12 years. How did you handle a relationship for that long and what happened?

I don’t think relationships are things you handle or manage. Relationships are part of your life. They are part of who you are and probably the most complex thing in the world.

Earlier this year, you did the first part of traditional introduction to your ex’s family. What exactly went wrong after that?

Wrong? I don’t think I got that memo, and if that memo got circulated, I can’t discuss it here. Everything about our lives here is a journey; a journey that I’m just glad to be on.

You guys have been on and off for 12 years. Do you see yourself going back to her considering all your tweets about your ex not focusing on your relationship rather attending events and making appearances as she claims in blogs?

I write a lot of stuff on social media. Some about me, some about life, maybe something I saw, maybe someone else’s experience, maybe my mood at the time.

The idea is that someone somewhere may be feeling that same thing. Sort of like the comfort you get on knowing that you’re not alone when you hear a song that speaks what you feel. One thing I will say just as a general life tip, ‘don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings.’ (not my words).

Who is your kind of woman or are you one of those who love to date women in the limelight?

I’m like the United Nations. I have love for everyone. I feel anyone that says they would only date a particular type of person is limiting themselves from the beauty that is the human soul. It can take a lifetime to truly know someone; we are continually evolving.

Two people together grow together and transform one another, just as experiences in life transform the individual. In other words, no, I’m not after women in the limelight.