Counsellor Frank Edem Adofoli has said marriage should not prevent people from maintaining friendships or forming new ones, provided couples build their relationships on trust and agree on clear boundaries.
Speaking on Changes on Joy Prime, the marriage expert said spouses should not feel compelled to monitor each other’s movements or report every friendship, warning that such behaviour can make a relationship controlling.
“It starts with trust,” he said. “Can the two of them sit down and talk about boundaries? What crosses the line? What doesn’t cross the line?”
Adofoli said married people should be able to maintain friendships while respecting the trust they share with their partners. He added that concerns about a friendship should be discussed openly rather than raised through accusations.
“If I have any resentment or I hear anything that I think is a worry, I won’t come in the name of accusation. I’ll let the person know this is how I feel about it,” he explained.
He noted that work and social activities can naturally bring married people into contact with others, including colleagues of the opposite sex, and that such interactions do not automatically mean an affair is taking place.
The counsellor also cautioned against allowing outsiders to dictate how couples manage their relationships, saying marriage is an intimate partnership whose privacy should be respected.
He urged spouses to communicate, establish mutually agreed boundaries and address concerns directly instead of letting public opinion turn ordinary friendships into a source of conflict.
