By Christian ABURIME
It is true when they say that in politics, there are no permanent enemies but permanent interests. It is also possible that one singular event, which is not necessarily political, can serve as a poignant affirmation of a nation’s strength in diversity.
Last Saturday, the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, orchestrated not just a routine wedding but a symbolic national showpiece that proved the profound possibilities of unity in a diverse nation.
The occasion was the church wedding of his daughter, Adaora Ifeatu Soludo, to Arinze Ibekwe, held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. This was no ordinary event. The couple had earlier exchanged vows in a court wedding in the UK and celebrated their traditional union in the Governor’s hometown of Isuofia, Anambra State. But it was the final celebration in Abuja that truly captured the essence of Nigeria’s collective identity.
Thus, it was no surprise that the wedding was a convergence of Nigeria’s great leaders, as dignitaries from across the political, regional, and social spectrum gathered, setting aside their affiliations to honour the Soludo family.
Among the distinguished guests were President Bola Tinubu, well represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the Vice President Kashim Shettima, and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who chaired the wedding reception.
The guest list went further to read like a who’s who of Nigeria’s leadership, with current and former governors, senators, ministers, traditional rulers and others too numerous to mention, all united in their respect and admiration for a man who has always championed the cause of a united Nigeria.
Indeed, in sheer grace and grandeur, Adaora and Arinze got joined in a celebration of love; yet in the grander scheme of things, Nigeria’s fault lines got blurred in the same singular event.
This goes to show that the didactic import of a pan-Nigerian wedding can be worth a thousand platitudes in patriotism.
By successfully bringing Nigeria’s eclectic political class together in the heart of the nation’s capital, Professor Soludo has once again proved that he is a unique breed of a leader who has the Midas touch on governance and has a way with the sublime art of fostering the bonds that hold a nation together.