A cross section of Abuja residents have listed infidelity, lack of trust, lack of intimacy, drunkenness and pride among others as some factors that lead to failed marriages in Nigeria. The residents, who made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja in a vox pop conducted by newsmen stressed the need for married couples to love one another irrespective of their individual differences.

They also harped on the need for married couples to remain faithful to their marriage vows and avoid those things that could cause friction at home. Mr Henry Okafor, an Abuja based businessman, identified lack of trust as the major factor that could lead to failed marriage.

He said that lack of trust could be as a result of infidelity and constant lying on the part of either the husband or wife. “The foundation of a successful marriage is trust; if trust is broken, the marriage begins to go down the hill,’’ Okafor said. On his part, Mr Benson Inawo, the proprietor of Ave Maria Secondary School, Mararaba, said that pride and ego are factors that could lead to failed marriage.

“The truth about many of us is that we are egocentric; we carry ourselves with so much pride that we trample on the emotions of our spouse, she said. Mrs Dorcas Danladi, who sells plantain in Mararaba listed lack of intimacy as another factor

contributing to failed marriage. She said: “marriage is like a flower; if it is not watered with intimacy and love, it will wither and die. “Intimacy is what keeps the flame burning in a marriage”

Danladi explained that if there is no intimacy in a relationship, the flame that keeps marriage alive would easily burn out Mrs Glory Sunday, a café owner in Mararaba said that lack of appreciation of our spouse and making reference (especially by men) of past relationships with women could lead to failed marriage.

She pointed our that if the husband always makes reference of his relationship with his former girl friends, how good they cook and were on bed, the wife would be jealous and feel insecure. “Such words will not only hurt the feelings of the woman, it could also contribute to break in marriage,’’ Sunday said.