says, Joseph Yobo’s in laws are not happy with him because he is yet to marry
their daughter traditionally. They said even Ojukwu did the needful when he
married Bianca, so Yobo has no excuse.
unknowingly incurred the wrath of some of his wife’s people. Yobo’s wife,
Adaeze, is from Iru-Owelle Village in Awka Etiti, Idemili South local
government area of Anambra State. According to one of them who asked not to be
mentioned yet, their anger with the soccer star stems from the fact that he’s
yet to marry their daughter traditionally.
“Yobo has not done Adaeze’s Igba
Nkwu and that’s why we are not happy with him. You are a Yoruba girl, but you
can go and ask your publisher, Azuh Arinze. He knows what Igba Nkwu means in
Igboland, and he also knows that without it, no man can be said to have truly
and fully married a woman. “We love Yobo as a footballer. We are also happy to
have him as our in-law, but our tradition must be followed and respected. Remember Ojukwu and Bianca? In spite of their having a high society wedding in
Abuja and all that, when the time came, Ojukwu still had to return to Ngwo (in
Enugu) to marry Bianca traditionally because it is very, very important. So,
you can tell Yobo that we said his case cannot be any different. He must marry
our daughter traditionally. Simple”.
uniting the two families and formalizing the relationship traditionally, it’s
also an avenue for the couple to exchange drinks publicly and announce to the
whole world that they are now one. The format is usually to hand over to the
bride a glass filled with Nkwu Enu (up wine), and amidst dancing around the
arena; accompanied by her friends, she locates the groom, hands over the drink
to him, he drinks and follows her to her parents. Both will now kneel and be
prayed for, with merriment following later.
Igwe. GMO used to be into serious business and was one of the first Igbo
companies, as far back as 1982, to donate N2million to a cause. This was when
Dollar exchanged one for about N80. “GMO was the Dangote of that time in the
East. The man was a member of People’s Club, the biggest social club, East of
the Niger, at the time. Oliver de Coque and Osita Osadebe sang his praise in
their albums”.
to do the Igba Nkwu but for kidnapping which was rampant in Anambra State then.
“That was what scared him away. Yobo is a big boy. I mean, we all saw how big
his white weeding was, in spite of the fact that he didn’t announce it to the
whole world then”.
Plateau State in 2008. Currently blessed with a child, YES International!
investigation revealed that he had met with Adaeze’s father, Mr. Ikechukwu
Igwe, for some form of introduction in Lagos and not Igba Nkwu. When we
contacted Mr. Igwe, on Thursday, February 13, 2014, he maintained that he
doesn’t have any issue with his daughter and her husband. “I don’t have any
problem with them at all and it’s not true that I’m not happy with them over
anything”. On their inability to perform the Igba Nkwu ceremonies yet, he said
he was happy with Adaeze as his daughter and Yobo as his son in-law and that’s
what’s important. “Don’t listen to whoever is telling you anything on the
contrary”. But still seething with rage, one of the in-laws said:
whether he has been to Iru-Owelle. Our people don’t do traditional marriages in
Lagos, so whatever they claim to have done there doesn’t concern us. If he
wants to marry our daughter, he should come to our village”.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
