Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi

Last updated
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
​
​
(m. 1953;died 1966)​
Lady
Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi
Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi.jpeg
First Lady of Nigeria
In role
16 January 1966 –29 July 1966
Children8

Victoria Nwanyiocha Aguyi-Ironsi Listen ⓘ (21 November 1923 – 23 August 2021) was the second First Lady of Nigeria from 16 January 1966 to 29 July 1966. [1]

She was the widow of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who was the first Nigerian military head of state, he was killed in Ibadan [2] in a counter coup led by Murtala Muhammed which led to the installation of General Yakubu Gowon. [3]

Biography

She hailed from Ohokobo Afara in Umuahia North Local Government Area. [4] She married Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as a student of Holy Rosary Convent School, Okigwe in 1953. [5] [6]

Following the death of Samuel Ademulegun and his wife, she moved his children from Kaduna to Lagos and cared for them. [7]

She had 8 children who were taken away and cared for by nuns in Ibadan under the direction of Adekunle Fajuyi during the Nigerian Civil War. [8]

She served as a commissioner of the Local Government Services Commission in Umuahia. [8]

The advent of the office of the First Lady of Nigeria came with Ironsi. [9] Aguiyi-Ironsi brought prestige to the office. She was often garbed in traditional outfits and her style was described as "pretty and effortlessly regal". [5]

Aguiyi-Ironsi died on 23 August 2021, at the age of 97, after suffering from a stroke and COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. [10] [11]

References

  1. ↑ "Nigeria's First Ladies". This Day . 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  2. ↑ Okon-Ekong, Nseobong (2010-10-02). "Nigeria: First Ladies - Colourful Brilliance, Gaudy Rays". Thisday . AllAfrica.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  3. ↑ "Of Flora, Victoria and Mariam". Vanguard News. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  4. ↑ Njoku, Lawrence (2021-08-24). "As former first lady, Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi submits to death". The Guardian (Nigeria) . Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  5. 1 2 "First Ladies of style". Punch Nigeria . 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  6. ↑ "Ironsi and military interregnum - The Nation Nigeria News". Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics. 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  7. ↑ Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing. ISBN   978-0-87586-708-3.
  8. 1 2 "I have seen heaven, I have seen hell, Johnny knew I could never remarry, says Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  9. ↑ Adamu, Ladi Sandra (1995). Hafsatu Ahmadu Bello: The Unsung Heroine. Adams Books. ISBN   978-978-31977-1-8.
  10. ↑ "First Nigerian Head of State's wife, Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi is dead". 23 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "'Woman of valour' — Buhari mourns Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, former first lady". TheCable. 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
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