Evangelist Temilolu Okeowo has published a column in Punch urging parents to intervene in the dating lives of their daughters, specifically targeting the trend of young women seeking relationships with significantly older men. The writer argues that this preference for age-gap partners leads to future instability and loneliness, contrasting it with the benefits of marrying within one’s own generation. Okeowo’s commentary blends personal advocacy for chastity with observations of contemporary social behaviors among Gen Z women.
The column features letters from two readers who credited Okeowo’s previous writings for their decision to remain virgins until marriage. One reader, a 34-year-old PhD student in the United States, wrote that she found her husband after resisting sexual temptations. She stated, "But God preserved me," and added that "He gave me an angel in human form." She confirmed she is marrying on December 6 and thanked Okeowo for her encouragement. Another reader, married for seven years, shared that she kept her virginity until marriage and has since written a book titled Diary of a Virgin Bride to help other young women navigate similar struggles.
Okeowo uses these testimonials to illustrate the positive outcomes of her chastity campaign, but the primary focus of the piece is a critique of young women who disregard eligible bachelors in favor of older men. She describes a disturbing trend where women in their prime marriageable years ignore peers, leading to a cycle of rejection and instability. To highlight the risks, she recounts an anecdote about a 69-year-old man who approached a 25-year-old singer. After she sent him her bank details, he received six explicit photographs from her, which Okeowo interprets as a sign of the woman’s vulnerability and poor judgment.
The writer warns that such relationships often end with the older man moving on, leaving the younger woman isolated. She cautions that these women may overlook ideal partners in their own age group, laying the foundation for future pain. Okeowo calls on mothers to be intentional in raising their daughters, suggesting that parents must maintain control over their preteen and teen daughters’ lives to prevent them from falling into these patterns. She concludes by inviting readers to join her Girls Club and text their details to a provided number to commit to chastity, asserting that this practice preserves destiny and avoids trouble.