By Adekola Afolabi
|
It was a moment of joy and renewed marital vows on Sunday as Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his wife, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
The anniversary organised by their children was held at the residence of Governor Akeredolu’s mother in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Present at the low-key ceremony to share in the joy of the moment were close friends and associates of the Governor who witnessed the wedding ceremony 40 years ago.
The event was also attended by the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, his wife, Mrs Olúwaseun Aiyedatiwa; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Bamidele Oleyelogun; Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Ade Adetimehin; Deputy Speaker, Mr. Samuel Aderoboye; Majority Leader, Mr. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi; Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Olugbenga Ale; Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa.
Others included immediate past Head of Service and Special Adviser to the Governor on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaiye; Commandant of the Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), Chief Tunji Adeleye; Chief Akin Olujimi, among other friends and associates of the Governor and family members.
Governor Akeredolu, who described his wife as a wonderful mother and loving wife, disclosed that he had always loved her fierce independence.
While urging people to be determined in their marriages, Governor Akeredolu declared that he had married his wife for life, adding that he was determined to marry only once.
The First Lady, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, narrated the humble beginning of their marriage, while vowing never to forget how the marriage started.
She further narrated how she lived with her husband in his mother’s house in the early days of their marriage, saying her mother-in-law’s house represented their humble beginning.
Going down the memory lane, the First Lady said: “I fell in love with a dashing young man. He was really cute and handsome. People say love at first sight doesn’t last. But for me, it has lasted.
“Because of love, I crossed the Niger and I never knew where I was going. Marriage is not a bed of roses. After all, Roses have thorns. You must carefully pull out the thorns, so that, they don’t hurt you. You must navigate through them.
“My father gave me a feather to fly. He trained me as a child, not as a girl. But my husband oiled that feather. I didn’t just fly, I soared. My crossing the River Niger was well worth it.”
