Long personal story (via facebook.com/thevillagetowncrier): Narrator attended an expensive private secondary school in Ibadan (2004 class); a dark-skinned, neat, confident girl stood out - 'I know my worth.' Many boys believed she liked them; a handsome boy who nearly dated her repeated a class and is today a popular Christian cleric in Ibadan. Rumour: a wealthy, well-travelled boy drove a Mercedes-Benz to her Lagos Island home to woo her - she said NO. After school she got a top tech job with monstrous pay and moved abroad.
Twenty-two years later, she is still single, about 40 now. Reflection: in many African societies marriage still carries enormous expectations; a beautiful woman can find herself alone not because nobody wants her, but because many assume somebody else already has her - like a high-maintenance vehicle admired from a distance. On a personal note, I don't believe marriage is for everybody; some people are genuinely better off being alone.
