Brother Tony Just Sent His New Wife Packing

 Brother Tony's wedding was the talk of the town for a long time, as it attracted most of the prominent Scripture Union big wigs in town.

It was an honour to have Professor Jude  Okorie Ufere chair your wedding,  as a good number of couples rooted for him, and humbly, he accepted most of the invitations, and gave them very fat envelops. As a regional chairman in Scripture Union, he was highly respected wherever he went.

Brother Tony became a trail-blazer for choosing a hunchback as his best man, as people developed  a special admiration for him, for this singler act of humility.

Marriage is a signpost to a man's destiny; a wrong choice could spell doom for him. Ndi Igbo say that marriage is ngwugwu ahia. The contents of the wrap could be good business, or bad business; you never can tell.

Marriage has destroyed many men in life; some men who were doing well in life, got destroyed as soon as they got married; while others who were doing badly began to do well after marriage.

Marriage is a double-aged sword; in Igbo land, no matter how successful you are; if you are not married, there are certain places you cannot enter.

A man who has a family is accorded a special respect in Ala Igbo. To provide for, and  manage a woman and her children is no mean feat.

The taste of the pudding is in the eating. There is no way you can predict a successful marriage, except and until the marriage  starts.

When two thorough Christians marry, no demon can break the marriage. Faulty family foundations quicken the destruction of marriages. Most families perform fetish ceremonies before the white  weddings, thereby establishing such marriages on a sinking sand.

In some communities in Ohuhu, dead parents are appeased through rituals, before their daughters are given out in marriage.

In other communities, the two families involved in the marriage, enter into igbandu (covenant).

Most Christians are merely church goers, and hold tenaciously to the traditions of their forefathers.

A year after Brother Tony's wedding, news filtered into town that the marriage had collapsed, and  with  a big bang.

Was Brother Tony under a spell? What came over him? Sophocles, the famous Greek playwright said in Oedipus Rex,  "let no man be called great, till he follows his greatness down to the grave in peace."

Brother Tony woke up one morning, and ordered his wife to vacate his house, just like that.  All entrities by the Scripture Union leaders yielded no results as he was unwilling to change his mind. He was as solid as the rock, and as constant as the northern star.

Tony's wife was not caught in adultery, and the issue had nothing to do with the fruit of the womb. There was no scandal, or whatever bad behaviour you may conjecture.

At times, desperate spinsters use charms to hoodwink men, and lure them into marriage. When the charm wears out, trouble starts.

There  are cases when sisters begin to fake prophecies, when they encounter admirable brothers they cherish.  "The Holy Spirit said you will marry me."

In a particular case, after the sister prophesied what the Holy Spirit said, the Brother began his own return match."The Holy Spirit said, "I will not marry you." 

In one case, after such a prophecy was made, the Brother quickly replied, "but I am married."

It was like someone who woke up from a big slumber. The failed marriage was news on every lip for a time.

Brother Tony was very popular in the Township Group fellowship. To hold a Scripture Union wedding is like you have made heaven already. There were so many restrictions: you cannot visit your fiance, or fiancee alone. You must not serve alcohol in any of the ceremonies, traditional, or white wedding. After the traditional wedding, your wife must not visit you alone. Taboo; if the fellowship found out you stayed overnight in his house before wedding, the Group will not attend officially, but anyone could attend on a personal level.

New converts were followed up, and taught the rudiments of Christianity. As time went on, follow up classes were neglected, and soon members were no longer grounded in the faith, and of course, anything could happen, and did happen.

Many sisters were desperate and wanted to get married by hook, or crook. One handsome young man was being eyed by a sister, who invited him to attend her church; the brother carefully declined the offer, and the sister was angry, and raged at him. Brother Okey kept calm, and the matter died a natural death. Marriage is not by force.

Then another big-bang event followed soon. Brother Igwe Okorie had parted company with his beautiful wife, Sister Ngozi, after a quarrel. The Scripture Union leaders waded into the matter, but could not reconcile the warring couple, as they met a brick wall.

Brother Igwe Okorie was excommunicated from the Scripture Union Nigeria . His ex-wife, Sister Ngozi, abandoned her teaching job in a secondary school, and left the state to join her mother in Taraba State, after the collapse of the marriage.

The one-in-town wedding fell like a pack of cards. Life na wao. All that glitters is not gold.

Brother Igwe Okorie

was alleged by his wife to be impotent. As soon as the marriage broke up, Brother Igwe Okorie remarried, and his wife became pregnant without much ado.

How manage? How come brother Igwe impregnated his new wife in a blink of an eye? Did he commission someone to do the job for him in order to save his face? Or, what really happened? Maybe, the accusation of impotence was to damage his character. Remember, the accuser of brethren, ekwensu, is ever busy...

There was one beautiful sister named Adaku, who worked with EEDC. As soon as Brother Igwe noticed her, he quickly made a move, by visiting her in her office, but she did not give him a green light. The sister seemed interested in rich brothers. Soon, she sought transfer to Enugu, because she wanted to enroll for a part-time Law programme. 

Brother Igwe saw another beautiful sister, and went after her. She was a quack nurse, and lived at Amuzukwu Ibeku. The sister plainly told him that she was engaged, and that settled it.

Brother Igwe Okorie did not relent until he came in contact with Sister Ngozi, whom he finally wedded.

The marriage committee of the Township Group is as solid as the rock. Intending couples usually went through the marriage committee for screening before a marriage is approved.

The decisions of the committee are usually led by the Holy Spirit; if the decision of the committee is carefully followed, expect a successful marriage. No more, no less.

When a spirit-filled brother and a sister are led into marriage, the marriage goes well. There are times, the committee asks intending couples to put one or two things in order before progressing to the next stage.

Some clever brethren pick their spouses from outside the SU fold, and wangle them into the fellowship, and afterwards  to the altar. Soon, you begin to hear unsavoury stories.