Diana, Princess of Wales, was honored with a state luncheon hosted by President Ibrahim Babangida during the second Better Life Fair, which was started by Maryam Babangida in 1990. The First Lady, Maryam Babangida, was instrumental in receiving the royal visitor at the occasion, which was held in Lagos on March 15, 1990.
The complete story of Edith Ike and Gowon’s romance, including how General Gowon first disputed his son’s paternity until acknowledging it after 48 years. …
In the 15th century, under the rule of Oba Uwaifiokun and Oba Ewuare the Great, Queen Emotan (actual name Uwarraye) was a market woman who worked at the Oba Market in the ancient kingdom of Benin. Image one: Left: At his Chelsea studio, Mr. John Danford, the then-Regional Director of the British Council in the Western Province of Nigeria, is constructing the six-foot-tall statue of Emotan. Oba Akenzua II commissioned the statue. Right: The Emotan statue was commissioned in 1954 by Oba Akenzua II, CMG, Oba of Benin. She was well-known for her humanitarian efforts, her affection for kids, and—above all—the crucial part she played in Prince Ogun’s (Oba Ewuare I) succession struggles after his exile. Emotan adored and cared for numerous youngsters in her foster home despite not having any biological children of her own. For a while, some parents would send their kids to live with Emotan and pick up some trade skills from her. She also raised and educated orphans, many of whom went on to become productive and contributing members of society. Prince Ogun (Oba Ewuare I) and Emotan plotted to overthrow Oba Uwaifiokun, the usurper, and her intelligence was crucial in assisting Ogun in regaining his throne after his younger brother betrayed him. The sole safe haven for Prince Ogun was Emotan’s modest home in the Oba market, and she served as his eyes and ears throughout the city as Uwaifiokun, who had already taken Ogun’s legitimate throne, attempted to assassinate him in order to maintain his position as king. Prince Ogun rushed to his younger brother’s location and executed him after learning of Uwaifiokun’s intention to march to the ancestral shrine and offer sacrifices to his father’s gods in order to help him avoid his unfortunate destiny. This action made it possible for Ogun to succeed to his father’s kingdom. After Uwaifiokun’s death, the kingdom’s succession dilemma was resolved, and Prince Ogun celebrated by taking the title Ewuare (Oworuare), which translates to “the heat has abated” or “the trouble has ceased.” Shortly after Ewuare was installed as Oba, Emotan died. In order to fulfill his instruction that she should not be forgotten after her death, Oba Ewuare the Great planted a sacred Uruhe tree near her grave—the same location where she lived—next to the Oba market. He also mandated that all funeral processions include a visit to her grave by any man invested with a title as a sign of respect. Only under Oba Osemwende’s rule did the Uruhe tree that was planted over her burial die, having survived for nearly three centuries. About 150 years ago, the Oba replaced the tree with another Uruhe and used an Iroko tree to support it. However, during Oba Akenzua Il’s rule in 1954, the British Council in Benin replaced the tree with a bronze statue of a full-size woman. This was due to the fact that fifty years prior, during a particularly strong storm, the final two trees that Oba Osemwende had placed on the cemetery had fallen.
When Ifeajuna and his fellow coup plotters struck in Lagos early on January 15, 1966, Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon, who was 31 years old and a bachelor when he was appointed Head of State, had an Igbo girlfriend who was even sleeping with him. However, Gowon said that his anti-Igbo sentiment made him question whether he could trust his Igbo lover, Edith Ike, following the July 1966 assassination of Aguiyi-Ironsi and the Northerners’ subsequent systematic and indiscriminate executions of Igbo troops and civilians. The relationship between Gowon and Edith did not last through the crisis, and on April 19, 1972, the 34-year-old Head of State wed Victoria Zakari, who is seen in the image with Gowon, their daughter Saratu, and their son Ibrahim. In Abuja, the couple commemorated their 55th wedding anniversary. In addition, Edith Ike later sued Gowon for paternity, claiming that Gowon was the father of her son, Musa, who was born a year before Gowon’s wedding. The case even made it all the way to the Nigerian Supreme Court. Although she prevailed in the lawsuit, the former head of state refused to change his mind until 2016, when a DNA test revealed that Musa was, in fact, Gowon’s son. Musa Jack Ngodadi Gowon, then 47 years and recently pardoned by President Barack Obama after spending nearly 23 years in a U.S. prison for a drug-related offense, was only then accepted as the retired general’s son. Unfortunately, while her son was still incarcerated in 2003, Edith Ike passed away from breast cancer.