At 31 and donning his military uniform with insignia dangling on the epaulette, Nigeria’s Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, arrived at the famous Christ Church Cathedral in Lagos, venue of his wedding on April 19, 1969. Gowon was chauffeured to the church in a Mercedes Benz limousine, through streets lined with excited Nigerians, including schoolchildren. There was a huge crowd milling around the church as well, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Head of State and his new bride, Victoria.
It was special for many Nigerians to see their leader getting married, but as it was during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), many people also criticised the timing of the wedding. After the church wedding, escorted by motorcycles and cars, Gowon and Victoria left in a convertible Rolls Royce, giving the waiting crowd the opportunity to see and wave at the first family.
At a time when many marriages crash early, the couple’s wedding appears to be going strong. Last year, Gowon and Victoria celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the presence of loved ones.
Eighty-seven-year-old Mrs Mary Dimka, who is the immediate elder sister of the former Head of State, Gowon, tells JAMES ABRAHAM about the iconic wedding
As Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon got married to Victoria Zakari in 1969, how would you describe the day?
I was present during the wedding of my brother which took place many years ago. The day was remarkable. His wedding was an exciting one for us, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was very sad. It was sad because the wedding coincided with the time Nigeria was going through difficult times with the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. The sad memories of the war were a concern for us. But we thank God, everything went well.
Where were you when the war started?
I was in Kaduna with our parents at the time.
What are the things you still remember about the wedding?
The wedding witnessed a large turnout of people from different parts of the country. It was also very peaceful from the beginning to the end.
Did you play any roles at the wedding or in its build-up?
I can’t remember playing any particular role as such except that we ensured that the wedding was a success. At that time, he was already a Military Head of State and you can imagine the eagerness of people to see their sitting Head of State getting married. So, it really excited the people. And it actually turned out to be a success with the help of other people who rallied round the family to make it a success.
At what point did you learn that he would be getting married?
I learnt about the wedding from our parents. They were the ones that told me the wedding date was almost at hand. By then, they had done most of the necessary things in readiness for the wedding. I was eager to meet the young lady my younger brother was about to spend the rest of his life with.
What was your first reaction when you eventually met her?
Of course, I was very excited when I met her. We flew to Lagos from Kaduna for the wedding. I just liked her looks and how she comported herself. We became friends afterwards.
Do you know the reason why he didn’t marry before he became Nigeria’s Head of State at age 31?
I think he was a very busy man as a military officer. The responsibility became even greater when he was made the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. As he wanted the best in everything he was doing, perhaps, he didn’t realise that time was also going and that he needed to marry. And eventually, he was able to take the step. That could be the reason why he married at the time he did.
What was your reaction when you heard about his plan to get married?
I was overwhelmed with joy. This is someone who had already started his life in the military and risen to become the Head of State as a bachelor. So, seeing him getting married and starting a family was a thing of joy because the Holy Bible says he that finds a wife finds a good thing. So, I felt it was good for him to combine family life with his duty to the nation.
Were there any remarkable things that you remember about the wedding?
It is not easy to remember most of the things that happened on that day because it happened a long time ago. But I can still remember the spices injected into the wedding by the groom’s grandmother. At that time, she was already old but she was so excited about the wedding that she cracked jokes and made remarks that made people laugh. I remember when she saw some soldiers who later moved from their positions after standing at attention for several hours, she remarked in amazement, “Oh! I thought they were trees.” And people who heard her remark started laughing.
Since the wedding was held in April 1969 during the civil war, were there fears that the wedding might be disrupted?
I will say no. I was not afraid and with the presence of different kinds of people at the wedding and the joyous looks on their faces, you could easily tell they were not afraid.
We had been praying for the success of the wedding and we believed that God would answer our prayers. Because of that, we had confidence that nothing (bad) would happen and nothing (bad) happened, which was in line with God’s plan.
Some people criticised Gowon and accused him of being insensitive by getting married during the civil war, what did you think about it at that time?
I think it was wrong for anybody to accuse him of being insensitive because he was getting married during the time of war. Like other well-meaning Nigerians, we were concerned about the war. In fact, our family, especially our father, was constantly praying for the war to come to an end. He was a very prayerful man and we thank God that we learnt a lot from him in that regard, to know that in every situation we find ourselves, we should give thanks to God.
Why didn’t he wait till after the war before having the wedding?
The war was unpredictable. When it broke out initially, no one knew when it would end. So, you couldn’t wait for anything. Anytime you want to achieve something, go ahead and do it and let God handle the rest. I think this was the motivation for him regarding the wedding.
How elaborate was the wedding?
I think it was a moderate one. He had no time for a flamboyant wedding. Don’t forget that the war had not ended at the time and that somehow, that helped to exercise restraint on whatever was done at the time. I am sure he would have been much happier on his wedding day if the war had ended.
There were people, including pupils on the streets, was there a public holiday on the day before the wedding?
I don’t think so. I was in Lagos before the wedding. I belong to the Young Christian Women Association and as the Vice President of the association; we went for a meeting there. And I can’t remember people or schoolchildren being restrained from their programmes.