By Steve Oko

Abia State has been hit hard by death following the demise, almost simultaneously, of two of its illustrious daughters, Nigeria’s former First Lady, Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi; and Mrs. Adanma Okpara, wife of the late Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. Michael  Okpara.

While Mrs. Okpara, who would have turned 97 in December died on August 22, Lady Aguiyi-Ironsi, 98 died on August 23, at an interval of less than 24 hours.

Both nonagenarians hailed from Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state.

Born on November 21, 1923, Lady Victoria was Nigeria’s second First Lady from January 16, 1966, to July 29, 1966, when her husband, Gen. Thompson Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, was killed in a counter-coup led by the late Gen. Murtala Mohammed.

It took a courageous matriarch in the mold of Lady Aguiyi-Ironsi to move on with life after the tragedy of her husband’s assassination.

Following the devastating incident, Lady Ironsi left Lagos, the then seat of power and returned to her country home, Umuana Ndume Ibeku, Umuahia North.

She had to cope with the challenge of raising her eight children almost single-handedly as she was virtually abandoned.

Her nephew, Chief Benedict Obioma of Umuokoyi Afaraukwu Umuahia, her maternal home, told Sunday Vanguard that Lady Aguiyi-Ironsi had it rough during the 30-month Nigeria-Biafran war as she was literally abandoned by both the federal government and the regional government.

Chief Obioma who said he was living together with them at the State House Lagos said the assassination of her husband forced the family to relocate to Umuahia, adding that ever since then, Lady Ironsi remained in the state.

He described the matriarch as an enterprising virtuous woman and a devout Christian who was honoured with Noble Lady award by the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Afaraukwu, her maternal village church where she continued to worship until her death.

According to him, the late First Lady had a special attachment to her village that she never worshiped anywhere but in her village church.

His words: “ Eze Nwayi Ibeku (Queen of Ibeku land) was the last born of my father’s parents. She was the last child of a family of five.

“ We were staying together at Lagos when the husband was assassinated and then we were forced to return to Umuahia. My Aunty had it very rough during the civil war because she was abandoned. No assistance came to her from anywhere.”

The late former First Lady had also accused the federal government of abandoning the family during an exclusive interview with our Correspondent in 2016.

But the immediate past Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji appointed her a Commissioner in the Local Government Service Commission where she served for years.

On her last moments, Chief Obioma said Lady Aguiyi-Ironsi was not sickly although she suffered from arthritis of late.

“ Eze Nwayi was very strong up until her death despite her age. She was never a dull person. A few days before her death I saw her. The children were taking good care of her, ‘’ he said.

Chief Obioma said the late First Lady had a good social life as she served as a motivator, an adviser and mentor to many.

“ She was a mountain mover and an active community leader”, he declared, adding that she would be dearly missed by the family in particular, Abia State and the country in general.

Chief Obioma appealed to the federal government not to abandon the family in her burial.

Meanwhile, when Vanguard visited her official residence at Ogurube New layout Umuahia, visitors were not allowed into the compound as the security guard at the gate told our Correspondent that the children were yet to return to the state.

Some soldiers were sighted inside the compound probably deployed to help beef up security around the area considering her status as a former First Lady.

She was also until her death, the Chairperson of the Association of former First Ladies of Nigeria.

Lady Okpara

On the other hand, Lady Okpara who died after a protracted illness lived a humble and quiet life.

She was instrumental to her husband’s legendary achievements as Premiere of the Old Eastern region comprising all states in the present South-East and South-South geopolitical zones minus Edo and Delta states.

Since the demise of her husband, Dr. Michael Okpara in December 1984, the nonagenarian lived a quiet life and was rarely seen in public.

She was a strong pillar behind her husband during the political days of the 1950s and 1960s as Michael Okpara ruled the then Eastern Region with dedication and commitment to people’s welfare, centered on massive industrialization of the then Eastern Nigeria with agriculture as its centerpiece.

READ ALSO: Senator Orji, Ohuabunwa mourn lady Aguiyi-Ironsi, Okpara’s wife

Her late husband, Dr. Okpara was reputed for his selfless but legendary leadership which was responsible for the agricultural and infrastructural transformation ever recorded in the Old Eastern region.

She hailed from Ikwuano but married at Umuegwu Okpuala, Ohuhu in Umuahia North LGA.

Sunday Vanguard gathered from a reliable source that both families are contemplating burying both legends around October at a day interval just the same way they died.

This, according to the source, is for the convenience of personalities expected from across the country in both burials.

Meanwhile, it has been an outpouring of tributes by governments and individuals alike.

Abia First Lady, Dr. Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, described the deaths of the duo as “a huge double loss”.

Mrs. Ikpeazu said: “the two departed Amazons represented an era of self-sacrifice in public service as they were always held up as beacons to women in leadership.”

She confessed that she was one of many First Ladies who had received mentorship from the two women.

“ I enjoyed the privilege of learning a lot about honour, humility, and self-respect from the lifestyles and stewardship of Mrs. Aguiyi Ironsi and Mrs. Okpara”, Mrs. Ikpeazu said.

She described their lives as momentous, adding that, though they will be sorely missed, they had left legacies “worth studying, emulating and replicating.”

Her husband, Ikpeazu, said both First Ladies left behind “ imperishable legacies”.

“ We have been robbed of our most iconic female living legends”, Ikpeazu lamented.

Vanguard News Nigeria