December 22, (THEWILL) – Tuesday, December 19, 2023 will remain evergreen in the life of Pastor Paul Onaibu Akhalu, a U.S. based medical practitioner, as his first son , Timothy, married his heartthrob,Victory Abakasanga, in Lagos.
It was a cross – cultural traditional marriage as the groom is from Edo State while the bride comes from Akwa Ibom State.
The wedding reception which was held at Brava Event Centre in Ogba Area of Lagos was full of glamour and fun.
The traditional dance troupe from Akwa Ibom State treated the guests to a taste of traditional music which was well appreciated by the guests drawn from Nigeria and outside the country.
The father of the groom, Pastor Paul Akhalu, said the day remains a day of joy for him.
” I am elated because seeing my first son getting married brings joy to me,” he told THEWILL as he disclosed that the couple met at the Medical College in the U.S, saying the bride is the daughter of a former Inspector-General of Police, Abakasanga, from Akwa Ibom State.
He advised the couple to be patient, saying they should know that marriage is not a bed of roses .
“So endurance, love and oneness is what keeps the marriage going. There are marriages that go short times, there are marriages that go long, so they need to be careful and pray fervently.
“They should also know that the most important thing in marriage is understanding and unity,” he added.
On the cross-cultural marriage between his son and an indigene of Akwa Ibom State , Akhalu said , “Perhaps my son is taking after me.”
According to him, “If we are talking of cross cultural marriage , myself, I have been involved in cross cultural marriage, my wife is from Abia State and I am from Edo State . It brings unity to the country too. If I know my wife is from a place I will not want to do something bad to anybody from that state. Such marriages bring us together as a country.”
Akhalu also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strive to bring unity to the country.
“We have not learned any lesson when you look at Nigerian politics. I believe that during the last election , though I have not been involved in politics, many Nigerians from the United States and all over the world were packing their bags and baggage to come down because they thought we were going to have a good election . But when it went the other way round everybody was disappointed.
” However, the election has come and gone. It is better for Nigeria elites to always strive to ensure that they put Nigeria at the centre of whatever they are doing.
” All over the world Nigerians are making impacts, anywhere you go you see Nigerians . For example, in the state where I live in the United States, before you count ten people , a Nigerian must be there. In any group if Nigeria is not there, the group is not complete.
”Somebody once told me that anywhere you go in the World, if you see any black person , he must be a Nigerian and I think that is true. We have some Nigerians who are doing well as lawyers , medical doctors and so on abroad . Why can’t they be encouraged to come back home to come and help in doing their best for our country .
“But the only problem we have is that they cannot come home because the political space is unsettled. The insecurity is on the high side and they are scared to come home. I will call on the President to unite the country together. So we should do away with ethnic sentiment, it won’t help us,” he said.
Also speaking, the groom, Timothy, said there is nothing as good as getting married .
“I want to thank everybody for their contribution to the success of the wedding . Their support makes the occasion a success”, he said.
He said the qualities he has seen in his wife which endeared her to him is her kindness, gentility and understanding.
Present at the society wedding were top socialites including Mrs Omolola Ehindero, wife of a former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero and the Founder, Little Saints Orphanages, Rev. (Mrs) Christianah Bamidele George.
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