By Safari Abah
The new couple, Gabriella and Johnson
Thursday November 23rd, 2023 witnessed a gathering in Jos, Plateau State capital, of highly respected Nigerians from broad geographical backgrounds with a preponderance of them coming from the Middle-belt region of Norther Nigeria. The venue of convergence was the spacious hill-side residence of A/P Major (rtd) Gabriel Adofikwu and the event was the Cultural Wedding ceremony of his much dotted daughter, Gabriella Adofikwu to her heart-throb, Johnson Gana. The event was kick-started with an opening prayer during which the Lord Almighty was requested to send His Angels to begin the day and end it with all who had gathered for the Cultural blessing of the marriage, continue to guide them through the forth coming white wedding and all the days of their lives together. The father-of-the-day, Engineer Ogah Adekwu thereafter welcomed and thanked all visitors for making it to the event, emphasizing the fact that marriage is one of the most important milestones in the lives of human beings and advised the couple to always be mindful of the distinguishing aspects of their cultural backgrounds in dealing with future issues in their marital and public lives. Delegation leader of the bridegroom’s family, Dr. Samuel Madu, a respected societal leader and husband of former DVC of University of Jos and current Dean of Faculty of Social Science of the University expressed hopes and excitement for his family to be engaged in the on-going great nuptial handshake across the Niger by the two families through their children. The bride and the bridegroom. He prayed God to accompany them through their lives together. The ceremonial confirmation of bride-price negotiation and payment, which was actually a replication of the bride’s family’s reinstatement of care and provision for the future welfare of not only their daughter hence fort, but for the couple and their united families were undertaken under the exited and watchful eyes of Idoma and Nupe nationality leaders present at the occasion. The bride’s hand was handed over to the bridegroom and his father, after which the Ad’Idoma on the Plateau and Chairman of the Council of Ad’Idomas in Northern Nigeria, Chief (Barr) Leonard Adejor bountifully blessed the couple and prayed for them to be fruitful in their ambassadorial missions of unity across the river Niger.
A/P Rtd Major and Dnes Adofikwu in historical pose with the much-dotted bride.
A cursory glance at the list of dignatories that graced the event would provoke a The bride’s mother dancing in joy with friends and relatives at the event.sense of curiosity in the mind of the uninformed observer for the simple reason of not just the caliber of the individuals in attendance but the nature of the developmental and cultural institutions most of them symbolize. The new couple who are individually adored by their pair groups who turned out joyously to celebrate with them on the first leg of their nuptial foundation are reputably deserving of the respect conferred on them by the peer groups. However, the significance of institutional representation evident at the event aroused Wind Sound Africa’s deeper interrogation.
The bride’s mother dancing in joy with friends and relatives at the event.
While the Gana family of Nupe kingdom extraction bestride the skyline of their geographical horizon with enviable admiration, the Traditional Wedding ceremony was more of the bride’s family’s Idoma cultural outing than the bridegroom’s. Wind Sound Africa’s enquiry have established the fact that the institutional faces presented by those in attendance at the Cultural Wedding event finds explanation in the lifestyle and philosophy of the father of the bride, P/A Major(rtd) Gabriel Adofikwu. On the Plateau and in the homeland, retired Major Adofikwu presents an awesome image amongst the general public.
Dancing in Joy
The usually invisible and sometimes unfathomable existential gap that exists between the elitist and the proletarian segments of societies often aids discordant conclusions in the minds of members of the same society with the same mission. While the elites innocently conclude, (often times wrongly) that they, on their own, without the cumbersome drawbacks of the proletariat, can make haste towards the overall progress of all, the masses of proletarians who actually undertake the manual aspects of development also wrongly conclude that they are better off without the congregation of the elites. Incoherent and ill-fated foundations for collective development germinate and grow from there and keep societies at permanent loss. In Idoma land and the diasporas, retired Major Gabriel Adofikwu is reputed to be a think-tank level member of more elitist, proletarian, religious and development associations than any other single person in Middle-belt Nigeria and a respected bridge between the elites and their estranged kins men and women. Representatives of all the groups were present at his daughter’s Traditional Wedding ceremony.
Members of Achenche K’Idoma friends of the bride’s mother sharing her joyful moments with her.
They included the president of Idoma Development Association on the Plateau, Engineer Batholomew Abiche, Ad’Idoma on the Plateau and Chairman of the Council of Ad’Idomas in Northern Nigeria, Chief (Barr) Leonard Adejor, Jos branch Chairman of Ochetoha K’Idoma, Professor Amali Adekwu amongst others.
