True love they say never dies. This statement cannot be more apt than in the case of Charles and Ijeoma Chikezie who marked their 30th wedding anniversary on July 13, 2013. It was a rekindling of love which has refused to be dimmed or extinguished three decades after.
“I was 26 when I met her and she was 19. She said to me that what she enjoyed most was the intellectual discourses we always had, and my large world view. She may be shy to add that I was very handsome then, with a sweet Volkswagen car loaded with good sound, the type any babe her age would love.
“Perhaps she would admit too, that if she missed the dashing, spicy Charlie, her loss would have been another babe’s gain. I was entrapped by her gentility, wisdom, care and studious inclination. So, “honey will you marry me?” I asked and begot a big “YES,” and obviously enthralled Charles Chikezie said, enjoying every bit of his sweet reminiscence.
Mr. Chikezie is the director, public communications at the federal ministry of information, Abuja. The wife, Dr Mrs. Ijeoma Chikezie is deputy commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Ibadan.
It was fun all the way as they marked their 30th wedding anniversary on July 13, 2013, in grand style. The celebration which took place in Abuja was like a Mecca of who-is-who in Nigeria. Honorable minister of information, Mr. Labaran Maku, permanent secretary, federal ministry of power, Ambassador Godknows Igali; Prof. Dora Akunyili, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, executive secretary, NAPTIP sent worthy representatives.
Charles described their union which took place in 1983 at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja as a happy home, adding that “God has blessed our marriage, answered our prayers and filled our home with quiver, seven children and two grandsons and one granddaughter.”
He noted that through the instrumentality of their NGO, The Centre for Youth and Families Rehabilitation, CYFR, many lives have been touched. He said, “We care for and advocate that children from homes and families be seen through school, to stave off the effect of the scriptural refrain ‘my people perish for lack of knowledge.’”
Corroborating her husband, Mrs. Ijeoma Chikezie said that she believes their marriage is divine. “As if it was just yesterday, God has been truly faithful,” she said, describing her husband as a responsible husband and father to her and her children, best friend, companion, counselor, critic and editor.
For some people, love-at -first-sight does not exist. However for Mr. Chikezie, it is real. According to him, “The day I saw her, it was a captivating view in one moment, such which could be rightly called love-at-first-sight”, at the female hostel of the College of Education, Ilorin.
Mr. Chikezie advised that marriage should be fulfilling, not only to those directly married but most importantly, to meet the purpose of the creator who initiated it. This was what motivated them to publish a book, The Technology of Marriage” which was reviewed at the event by Mrs. Dora Akunyili.
