Flora Azikiwe Explained

Flora Azikiwe
Office:First Lady of Nigeria
Term Label:In role
Term Start:1 October 1963
Term End:16 January 1966
President:Nnamdi Azikiwe
Predecessor:position established
Successor:Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi
Birth Name:Flora Ogbenyeanu Ogoegbunam
Birth Date:1917 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Onitsha, Southern Region, British Nigeria
Nationality:Nigerian
Children:Chukwuma Azikiwe, Chukwuemeka Azikiwe, Nwachukwu Azikiwe, Ngozi Azikiwe

Flora Ogbenyeanu Ogoegbunam Azikiwe (7 August 1917 – 22 August 1983) was the first wife of Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria. She served as the first First Lady of Nigeria from 1 October 1963 to 16 January 1966.[1] [2] [3]

Flora Ogbenyeanu Ogoegbunam was born in Onitsha, a city in present-day Anambra State to Chief Ogoegbunam, the Adazia of Onitsha (Ndichie Chief) from Ogboli Agbor Onitsha. She met Nnamdi Azikiwe there in 1934, and the two were married on 4 April 1936. Their wedding was held at Wesley Church James Town, Accra, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) where her husband was working as the editor of African Morning Post at the time.[4] [5]

Azikiwe was a member of the Eastern Working Committee of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). She was the first Patron of the Home Science Association (HSA), formerly known as Federal Home Science Association.[6]

On 22 August 1983, Azikiwe died at the age of 66.[7] She and her husband had one daughter and three sons.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Sadoh. Godwin. Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko : the saga of a Nigerian female ethnomusicologist. 2012. iUniverse. Bloomington. 978-1469785875. 5.
  2. News: Sabella Abidde. Patience Jonathan: A different type of First Lady. 17 September 2015. The Punch. 27 February 2013.
  3. News: Michael Odigbe. First Ladies Of Nigeria. 17 September 2015. Nigerian Observer. 27 October 2014. 11 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160811094356/http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/27102014/27102014/features/features2.html#.VfsyPpG4bIU. dead.
  4. Web site: Onitsha Market Literature. onitsha.diglib.ku.edu. 17 September 2015.
  5. Web site: 2017-10-07. Of Flora, Victoria and Mariam. 2021-07-29. Vanguard News. en-US.
  6. News: Flora Azikiwe: Nigeria' maiden First Lady at a glance. 17 September 2015. People's Daily. https://web.archive.org/web/20151017215143/http://weekend.peoplesdailyng.com/index.php/lifestyle/tribute/517-flora-azikiwe-nigeria-maiden-first-lady-at-a-glance. 17 October 2015. dead.
  7. https://books.google.com/books?id=ASwuAQAAIAAJ&q=Flora+Azikiwe+1983 The African Guardian (1990). pg. 37