“IF ANYONE KNOWS…LET HIM SAY SO”

October 28, 2023 was the day the Lord has made; and not only they, but everyone that witnessed the occasion, gloried in it.

…Report by Ono Yima

“If anyone knows what would stop these two from being joined together as husband and wife let him say so now”, announced the officiating Priest.

After a brief but anxious moment no one knows. And with that, the officiating Priest proceeded to pronounce former Miss Ojoma George of ochikala, Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, and Patrick Bankole Arinola, of Ondo, Ondo East Local Government Area, Ondo State, South West Nigeria, husband and wife, in a holy wedlock at the TGC church at Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos.

The joining rite was witnessed by a few close relatives, mostly the parents on both sides, with some friends of the celebrants.

After the joining ceremonies were over, the event moved over to the Praise Garden Event Centre on the ground floor of the same building, for the wedding’s reception.

The close to 300 capacity hall, tastefully decorated with fan and air conditioners providing ambient temperature was already filled, expectantly awaiting the entry of the newly wedded couple. They celebrants were heralded into the hall, in steps with contemporary Nigerian dance beat, electrifying the moment.

The Bride was in sparkling voluptuous white wedding dress, shaped from the waist down in the form of an arc, while the groom was in double breasted blue suit and white shirt. The groom’s friends were equally dressed as the groom while the bridal train had long fitting green gown, all blending beautifully with the inviting hall and table decor.

A session of games among the groom’s friends and the Bridesmaid amplified the cheering and pervasive happy mood, giving the occasion a unique air.

Refreshment equally came in large varieties with jollof rice, fried rice, ofada, yam porridge, efo riro with Amala, and pounded yam, as the main menu; complemented with appetizers, oriental Chinese dish, mocktails, cocktails Side protein options, with shredded assun (goat ) meat, and BBQ fish to crown it all.

A funny side of the event came when the MC jokingly threw a question to the attendees. “If they give you a Bugatti and myself, which would you choose?

“Bugatti”: came a unanimous response.

Perhaps thinking that their answer is expected he probed further with a lesser but another equally high valued car. The answer was still the same, they want the car. Then he tried with Toyota high end models. The response was unchanged.

At that point he went low. “What of Toyota Camry? he asked with a tone of disappointment in his voice.

“Camry”, “Camry” they chose.

To assure himself of what is going on, he asked, “so if they give you Toyota Camry or myself, you will choose Toyota Camry? The resounding answer was “Yeees “

Disappointed, and quite obvious to him that his value was nothing compared to a car, indeed, any car, he tried again, “what of one hundred thousand naira?

“₦100,000”!, they answered.

“₦50,000, nko? ( What of ₦50,000?)

“₦50,000” chorused the crowd.

Obvious that he would not make any headway with the audience, yet wanting to salvage whatever is left of human value, he finally asked, “What of ebola virus or covid-19?

The audience did not answer him directly but rather burst into laughter.

Any of those in the hall, with any presence of mind to catch the significance of the exchange, would have discovered from that joke, how deep our society has fallen into materialism. Especially, but not limited to the youths.

Overall the event was a huge success. For the couple, 28th October was the day the Lord has made; and not only they, but everyone that witnessed the occasion, gloried in it.

Their traditional marriage had been done the previous day.