FIRST LADIES IN NIGERIA

How much do you know about the First Lady of your state? Do you know that the wife of Governor Ajimobi of Oyo State is from Lebanon? And Governor Aregbesola’s wife’s favourite food is eba? And that there are FOUR First Ladies in Adamawa State? 

Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. It has 36 states and each is ruled by an Executive Governor (all are hot-blooded, testosterone-filled males and that has left Iyaniwura wondering when Nigerians will elect their first female governor). Anyway, as the saying goes, behind (or beside as some would say) every successful man is a woman.

Read on and delve into the world of some of Nigeria’s most flamboyant women: the First Ladies. At the end, please tell us your opinion as to who the most beautiful is! Are you ready? Let’s roll

	ABIA STATE Chief (Mrs). MERCY ODOCHI ORJI is the wife of Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji. She has five kids for His Excellency. So, Abians, the picture shows the woman at whose mercy is your governor…lol Hear her:‘My brother, if you don’t have God, you’ve not started in your life; God is everything. Anybody that trusts in God, he will be carrying you higher.’ ‘I glorify God, he’s the architect of everything. Sometimes, I wonder why I’m the First Lady of Abia State because, I didn’t dream of it.’ ‘They say I walk like a soldier, so I need to wear something free.’ Mrs. Orji is a lover of ankara wears and says she cannot wear short skirts or anything that will expose her body. Good!
	ADAMAWA STATE At 70 years, Admiral Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state tops the chart with four wives, and all of them are given the official positions of a First Lady, even their official cars carry a common number plate which reads: ADGMH1. The four wives are well-educated and three of them actually have doctorate degrees. The four wives are: -Justice BINTA NYAKO (in charge of Abuja Affairs) -Dr. HALIMA NYAKO (in charge of the Health Sector), she is a consultant radiologist at the Federal Medical Center, Yola. -Hajia ZAINAB NYAKO (in charge of Political Affairs and Mobilization) -Hajia ASMAU NANA NYAKO (in charge of the Home Front) The four wives have their own first lady letter-headed papers printed for them on the orders of Governor Nyako. Gbogbo enjoyment! lol! Well, I tried my best but I was only able to see the pictures of one of them, and that is Hajia Zainab:
	AKWA IBOM STATE  Born in 1971 in Enugu State, Chief (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio is the sweetheart of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State. She has four children, three girls and a boy.
	ANAMBRA STATE  Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi (Margaret Brownson Usen) married Governor Peter Obi in 1992.
	BAUCHI STATE Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has four wives. The fourth and the most recent of them is NAFISAT, daughter of the late President Yar’adua. Nafisat married him at the age of 21 in Katsina in 2009. According to the two of them, courtship started in 2008 when Yuguda paid a visit to the Aso Villa to see President Yar’adua for an official assignment. The second wife is a Yoruba woman from Abeokuta, Ogun State, Hajia ABIODUN HAUWA ISA YUGUDA. When asked the secret of her beauty, she says she does not have a particular beauty routine but takes a lot of water, fruits and vegetables (correct!), she also exercises (Bauchi gym….lol!). Her quotes: ‘For example, many people died because they lacked five hundred naira (N500). When you don’t have money, you are disabled.’ I agree to that one die! Check out the pictures of Bauchi’s first ladies above. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything on the first and third wives. Please help out if you do have any info on the duo:)
	BAYELSA STATE Wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Rachael Dickson; her husband, Seriake, and the First Lady of South Africa, Mrs. Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, during her recent visit to Yenagoa (Punch). Governor Henry Seriake Dickson is married to RACHAEL DICKSON. That’s all I know…lol!
	BENUE STATE Architect (Mrs.) YEMISI DOOSHIMA SUSWAM is the First Lady of Benue State. Married to Gabriel Suswam in 1998, she is also one of the most fashionable Nigerian women. Her quotes: ‘God has been the secret. God that gives the burden will give the capability to bear the burden. God did not make a mistake by putting us there, He has a reason and everyday, we look up to Him for counsel and guidance. ‘I thank God that I read the course architecture in the university. They always want you to be a medical doctor but I could not do medicine because I could not stand the sight of blood. Even up till now, I cannot stand the sight of blood. I get easily put off and irritated by the sight of blood. ‘The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, anyone who forgets God, will be getting more foolish on a daily basis.When you have the knowledge of the word of God, you are fulfilled. I was born by a woman who is thoroughly fashionable. She does not make mistakes combining whatever she wore. My mood determines what I want to wear. I wear clothes that other people will see and appreciate.‘
	BORNO STATE Hajia NANA KASHIM SHETTIMA is the wife of Borno State Governor. She finished from the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) where she bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language. She is also a diploma holder in Mass Communication. She once paid the fine of N400,000 (four hundred thousand naira) for the release of 46 convicted inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Prison. She is also a farmer. An Ibo woman, Mrs. OBIOMA IMOKE is the love of Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers State. Born in 1963, she is a lawyer and an old student of the Federal Government College (FGC), Enugu. She is a mother of four and has pleasantly surprised many with the dramatic loss of her weight. She now looks fitter and trimmer than ever as against her massive frame in the past. Her dad is the first anaesthesiologist in Nigeria. A last born and a lover of ankara, her name Obioma, means ‘good heart’. Her quotes: ‘He had this way of looking at me….like this silly girl, I can expect anything coming from you.‘ ‘I disliked going to offices to ask people for jobs, so that was out of the way, that was not how I wanted to make money.‘ ‘Yes, he was my first boyfriend. I think we were one of those lucky people who found their soul mates early in life and just knew it. I always said ‘If I don’t marry him, then I’ll never marry another.’‘ ‘I’ll tell you, if you are interested in long-distance relationship, you should talk to me about it. My husband made our relationship interesting; he would record his voice and send it to me in school. My friends and I would listen to it and giggle, and I would also do the same thing and send to him. He did the most interesting things.‘
	CROSS RIVER Mrs Imoke is a mother of four. ‘First, it’s the grace of God, you can’t do it without God. He is a good man and allows me express myself. He is quiet but a very deep person, and he is also a planner. I have been married to him for 19 years and he is very kind. We dated for 18 years and he’s more of a friend and father to me.‘ Unfortunately, the present status of Governor Imoke cannot be ascertained. There are conflicting reports as to his whereabouts.
	DELTA STATE Deaconess SHEILA ROLI UDUAGHAN holds the forte at Delta State Government House as the lady behind the doctor governor. It was an amazing demonstration of love in October 2011 when she turned 50 (see pix). Her daughter got married when she turned 22 and Mrs. Uduaghan is always proud to mention this to anyone. Let’s hear her joor: ‘I am a very restless person but somehow I discovered I could really respect him. It has always been difficult to tell me something and get me to do it, very difficult. But with him, I discovered I was able to succumb and respect him. And that was what attracted me to him. If I am around, I do the personal things like serve his meals. Nobody cleans our bedroom, nobody makes our bed. I still attend to a lot of those personal things.’ ‘Everybody believes that as long as you are a governor’s wife, you have the solution to everything. They equate you to God and it can be really overwhelming. Phone calls come in at all hours of the day. Relaxation is not in my dictionary.‘ ‘As a wife, I don’t kill myself over burdens that should naturally be borne by my husband. That is why I don’t have any parcel of land or house anywhere in my name of kill myself over possessions. That to me, is my husband’s responsibility. It is left to him to decide whether we (the governor’s biological family) should live in a house or not. ‘My inspiration is from God. That is what keeps me on and what I’m doing is a heavenly assignment and I will make sure that it does not fail.‘ ‘You know, God does not make mistakes. If he were to be like me, maybe our home would be on fire all the time. Being up there has really helped in curtailing my excesses. He is a man of few words. If I didn’t marry him, I would have married and divorced many times by now.‘ Turning 50 years.
	EBONYI STATE Born in 1948, Chief (Mrs.) JOSEPHINE ELECHI is married to the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi. They have four children, three males and one female. She likes cooking, music and travelling. She is Izzi by tribe.
	EDO STATE The tale of First Lady in Edo State is a tragic one. That is because Governor Adams Oshiomhole (the Comrade Governor) no longer has a First Lady. He lost his dear wife, Mrs. CLARA OSHIOMHOLE to breast cancer. A very simple woman, she was truly a pillar of support for her husband. A mother of five (Cyril, Janet, Winnie, Emmanuel and Steve), she died a few days to the traditional wedding of the family’s second daughter in December 2010. When the news of her demise reached Governor Oshiomhole, he left his office and wept bitterly. Although she died relatively young, two of her kids are medical doctors, one is an accountant while two are in the university. A very gentle woman, she bore the pains of cancer silently for about three years before she finally lost the battle. She was 54. Hear what her husband has to say a year after her death: ”Life is tough in a quiet moment when you are back in your house, and you realize that you are all by yourself because, whether you like it or not, your first adviser is your wife. There are things that no one else can tell you except your wife. And, for most families, if there is one adviser you can trust, that the advice she gives is an honest advice, it may not be the correct advice but it is honest in the sense that she wishes you well. She is part of you as a wife. In a moment like this, you will get home but you will suddenly found out that you are completely by yourself. There are couples of things you will want to discuss with her and she is not there. It is hard, it is tough. But there are things you just have to reconcile yourself with, like they say, you pray that God just gives you the strength to accept what you cannot change. Additionally, you have children who are grown up, the girls have all married. The boys are either in school or on their own because they have all grown up. So, you suddenly found out that you are alone in the house. It can be quite lonely, it can be emotionally stressful. But we can’t blame God, we can’t complain.” May her soul rest in peace.
	EKITI STATE Enter Erelu BISI ADELEYE-FAYEMI, the woman behind the bespectacled and smiling governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi. Very polished and articulate woman, she is also the co-founder of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). Her quotes: ‘I agree that it is not appropriate to stop the convoy just because I want to buy Gala. I however do not agree with the assumption that because I am the wife of a governor, my IQ has dropped to single digits.‘ Laff wan kill me for that one o…lol! ‘My main responsibility is to support my husband.‘
	ENUGU STATE Now in her early 30s, Mrs. CLARA CHIBUZOR CHIME is the wife of Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime. She grew up in Katsina State and the northern influence is sometimes reflected in her dressings. Interestingly, she hates politics but is in love with gold. Nice combination, I must say! She dislikes politics because it is a game full of deceit and intrigues. And like her Cross Rivers counterpart, the whereabouts and status of her husband are still shrouded in secrecy. Nigerian leaders are yet to learn from the Yar’adua Saudi Arabia health debacle kinds of?
	GOMBE STATE The First Lady in this northern state is Hajia ADAMA DANKWAMBO. Governor Dankwambo was the former Attorney-General of the Federation. Sadly, I could not see any of her pictures. Got one?
	IMO STATE Mrs. NNEOMA NKECHI ROCHAS OKOROCHA is the Imo State First Lady. Her quotes: ‘The grace of God has been sufficient. Once you rely on God and remain focused and look up to Him, God will always help you, particularly over the issue of ensuring that women are carried along in the affairs of the state.’ ‘When I got married to him, he was somewhat doing well but actually had nothing. Even at that point, most people, especially my people, did not believe in the marriage but somehow I persuaded them that this is the person God wanted me to marry. By the special grace of God, I have six biological children -three girls and three boys -and almost 5,000 adopted children.‘ Her daughter just wedded recently to one of the Governor Okorocha’s commissioners.
	JIGAWA STATE Sule Lamido is the Governor of Jigawa State. A father of eleven children, he has two wives: Hajiya AMINA LAMIDO and Hajiya MARYAM LAMIDO. For now, their pictures are not available.
	KADUNA STATE Following the tragic demise of Governor Ibrahim Yakowa in a helicopter crash, Kaduna State now has a new First Lady.
	KANO STATE Governor Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso is known for strictly keeping his wife from the public. Well, like he did in his first term, he has also done it this time around, and he did it so well that I could not even find her name -not even a trace! Kano readers, kindly help Iyaniwura out with this. Nagode!
	KATSINA STATE Hajia (Dr.) FATIMA SHEMA is in charge here. One of her programmes involved the purchase and distribution of 2,800 goats to women. In one particular phase of the programme, she gave 600 goats to 200 HIV-positive women. The goats were imported from Algeria, Morocco and Niger Republic. There are reports that she recently ordered that an official should be sacked. Na wa o.
	KEBBI STATE Hajia ZAINAB USMAN DAKINGARI (daughter of late President Umar Yar’adua) is the third wife of the Kebbi State Governor. They married in 2008. Details are sketchy about the other wives. This is a trend I have noticed among some northern governors. Information about their wives are painfully difficult to get!
	KOGI STATE Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada has two First Ladies: Hajia HALIMA LADI WADA (first wife) and FARIDAH IJEOMA WADA. Hear Hajia Halima: When I can afford it, I play golf. Picture of the second wife was not available, as much as I tried
	KWARA STATE Deaconess OMOLEWA AHMED is the First Lady in Kwara. Hear her: ‘It has been tough; quite tough. Before I assumed office, I thought I knew how people were suffering. But coming into office, I realized that I didn’t know or knew too little. That is where these people have found themselves; not that we are better of. We should constantly be reminded that we are just privileged by God.’
	LAGOS STATE Married to one of the best-known governors in Nigeria, Dame (yes, she is a dame too!) ABIMBOLA EMMANUELLA FASHOLA is a very simple woman who needs little introduction.
	NASARAWA STATE Nasarawa State is the only one in the Federation with a Congressive for Progressive Change (CPC) Governor. The first First Lady is SALAMATU UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA while the second is Hajiya MAIRO UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA but her picture is not available. Kindly send Iyaniwura one if you have
	NIGER STATE  The First Lady is Hajiya JUMMAI MU’AZU BABANGIDA ALIYU (Madam Chief Servant).
	OGUN STATE  Olufunsho Amosun of Ogun State Stepping in style. Aged 46 years, OLUFUNSHO AMOSUN is the dazzling wife of cap-wearing Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
	ONDO STATE The Iroko behind the Iroko Mrs. OLUKEMI MIMIKO is the real iroko behind the Iroko (as her husband, Governor Olusegun Mimiko is called). She studied French.
	OSUN STATE Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is married to ALHAJA SHERIFAT AREGBESOLA. A stickler for ankara and a passionate lover of eba (made from cassava), she is an epitome of simplicity. Her quotes: ‘Look, let me tell you, there are things you have to do whether you like it or not. Between him and God, he had promised Allah that if the tribunal declared him winner, he would go to Makkah in Saudi Arabia for thanksgiving which he did.‘ ‘I still do the cooking, and take his food to the office after cooking.’ Looking nice. ‘Hardly do you see him get sick or use ordinary Panadol. He doesn’t take any self-medication.‘ ‘My children don’t go to parties and if they want to attend a party, I must know the type of party they want to attend. They must not sleep outside; even if they visit my own family, they‘ll have to come back home that night.”If he decides to marry another wife, honestly I’m fine with his decision. What else do I ask for from a man that is upright and truthful? I have known him to be a very trustworthy man. If he says no, his no is no; so also his yes is yes, and people know him for that. If he likes you, honestly he will like everybody in your family. He does not womanize; he does not drink alcohol. During our courtship days, he would ask if I would be coming the next day and my reply would be ‘No, I’m not coming, I will be in my house’. The next day, I would go to his place without notifying him, just to check whether he had another girlfriend but what I found out was a man locking himself in the room reading books. And for all these years of marriage, if the man is with you, he doesn’t womanize, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t beat you, he takes good care of you and your family, so what else do you need as a woman? I will just ask him what I have done; if he says nothing, I just want another wife, I will urge him to follow the guidelines of Islam in doing that.’
	OYO STATE Born on the 5th of April, 1959, Mrs. FLORENCE AJIMOBI is the wife of the ever-smiling Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi. She is of the popular Hajaig family from Lebanon and is into fashion designing in addition to running the family business. She is a mother of five: Ajijola, Abolaji, Abisola, Abimbola and Ajibola (so many hhhaaaass….lol!)
	PLATEAU STATE NGO TALATU JANG is the woman of Air Commodore (rtd) Jonah Jang’s heart. A nurse, she is from the Jaba tribe from Kaduna State.
	RIVERS STATE Dame (yes na, another dame!) JUDITH AMAECHI was born on the 24th of December, 1970. An old girl of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Abuloma (that school ehn!), she is the wife of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. She is a mother of three.
	SOKOTO STATE Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (I just lost 16 of my teeth!) has two wives and they are both full-time housewives, gaskiya! The two women actually do not parade themselves as first ladies. What first ladies do in other states is handled by the Commissioner for Women Affairs in Sokoto State. That sounds very cool, isn’t it? The Governor guards them jealously and they are very rarely seen in public (so forget the pictures joor!). In fact, they stay mainly in Wamakko which is their husband’s hometown instead of Sokoto, the state capital. Northern first ladies are an amazing breed indeed!
	TARABA STATE Hajia HAUWA DANBABA SUNTAI is the wife of the pharmacist governor of Taraba State. At a point, she travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with the wives of the 16 local government chairmen, assistants and friends. Don’t ask me what they went to do there Her husband is presently hospitalized in Germany following a plane crash. A picture was released showing her and Governor Suntai with her twins.
	YOBE STATE Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State is a polygamist but he lost one of his wives, Hajia ZAINAB GEIDAM in 2011 in Abuja. May her soul rest in peace. That’s the bit I could get from Damaturu.
	ZAMFARA STATE Of all the states, I must confess that Zamfara was the most difficult and obscure as far as First Ladies are concerned. Even getting info on the Governor (Abdulazeez Abubakar Yari) was enough trouble. Right now, I cannot ascertain the number, not to talk of the pictures of his wives. But we keep searching and if you can help us out,