Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has stressed the need for continued marital relationship between the Southeast and Southwest in order to foster and strengthen ties of both cultures and politics.
According to Umahi, marital relationships between Igbos and Yorubas would always produce a formidable knot in their cultures, commerce and politics.
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Speaking at the traditional marriage ceremony of Governor Alex Otti’s younger sister, Dr Ngozi Otti at Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, the Minister maintained that such marriages would not only be a bridge between Igbos and Yorubas, but would stand as a symbol of unity, even as he prayed God to remove any challenge the couple might encounter in their marriage.
Ngozi, the younger child of Otti’s family, married her heartthrob, Mr Ileri Adeniji from Abeokuta, Ogun State, in a colourful ceremony described by analysts as a symbolic “handshake across the Niger”.
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In an emotion-laden speech, Governor Otti recalled the difficulty the family faced following the death of their mother, revealing how the family struggled to keep Ngozi, the youngest child going during that time.
He paid glowing tribute to those who stood by the family, acknowledging the role played by his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, whom he described as Ngozi’s “second mother”.
The Abia governor commended her for rising to the occasion by taking responsibility for the bride’s upbringing; including relocating Ngozi to Lagos and ensuring she received proper care and education. According to Otti, the ceremony was one of celebration rather than mourning.
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He declared, “The story will be told another time, but by the time my mother left, the young lady by my right (the bride) was like the handbag of my mother, being the last one. We struggled to keep her alive because she wanted to go with her mother. I’m sure she remembers that.
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