By Victor Duruamaku
It was pump and pageantry as an Octogenarian, Pa Godson Ubochi and his darling wife a Septuagenarian, Nneoma Monica Ubochi, healthy, took to the dancing floor in celebration of the 60th anniversary of their being together as husband and wife
Their Union as ordained by God began when both of them were choristers of the choir of St Jude’s Anglican church Umueze Atta Ikeduru council area of Imo state
According to Pa Godson Ubochi ” I met my darling wife Nneoma Monica Ubochi when both of us were choristers at St Jude’s Anglican church Umueze Atta Ikeduru council area of Imo state, then I was singing bass while my wife sang alto part”
For a man to be hooked to a woman for the sake of marriage, something must lead to that and there must be an attraction, however, in the case of Pa Ubochi, what attracted him to his wife, according to him to , apart from her natural beauty, was her voice which he said sounded so sweet to his ears ” and that made me to start relationship with her” he narrated
However, marriage as it is observed is a very sacred union of eligible man and woman. This divine creation was made manifest through the creation of the first man on earth Adam and the first woman on earth Eve who were joined together by God
Upon creation and as it pleased God, he gave each partner a responsibility to enable make good home, of course this is the prayer or wish of every young couple who intend to make a good family that can impact the society positively
Yes in some ugly circumstances most people due to carelessness, run into trouble in their marriage, some times this ugly situation do occur as a result of ” marriage by proxy, infatuation and improper arrangement or inquairy when the union is being consumated
However, the octogenarian Pa Godson Ubochi and his wife, a septuagenarian Nneoma Monica Ubochi is just a case intimate love hinged on discipline and the fear of God Almighty
Pa Ubochi, excitedly narrates, ” my wife and I, were very active in the church affair particularly in the church choir at that time, ” like I said before, I took the bass part while my wife took the alto part “
” in fact, I must tell you that the voice of my wife then while singing attracted my interest hence we chose to relate to the extent that today we live together happily as husband and wife
” I must tell you that I will ever remain grateful to God for giving me a happy married life” , it is a thing of joy to hear that recently my children recently organised the 60th anniversary of our marriage to appreciate God for the life he has given to us, precisely, on April 20, 2025, the anniversary was celebrated in grand style in my home village Umueze Atta Ikeduru council area of Imo State
During the event, our friends, well-wishers allover and other relatives converge at my home to join us in thanking God for keeping us Alice to experience this divine gesture
We must also thank and commend our first son, Bethel Ubochi who organised his siblings to do this for us
Pa Ubochi further said, ” must tell you that our Union actually got the touch and blessings of God who made it a unic one, with the blessings of God interns of wisdom and knowledge andy wife being very supportive, we were able to raise good children, eight of them though as it pleased God two died remaining six of them today
We still thank God and glorify his name, saying, ” my wife and I are good example of the dividend of worshipping God in truth and spirit, we relied so much and consulted him at every situation in our life till today, in fact God has b6 faithfully to our union hence we will continue to worship him till the close of the age
Appreciating his wife further, Pa Godson Ubochi said, ” like I told you before, my wife is a big gift to me, I always get encouraged each time I hear her voice while singing no matter the circumference and condition we find ourselves at the material time, of course, both of us, because of age can no longer attend choir practice to sing but I tell you at heart we can still sing at list from the hymn book
However, my wife’s good social conduct and being a Christian, made it possible for us to be hooked together I will also say that I have gotten my expectations my expectations of marrying her, God did not disappoint me and I did not make any mistake in marrying her you can see that the journey of our union has been very smooth and successful, peaceful and full of God’s blessings
According to him, ” all these depicts love understanding, tolerance and forgiveness which leads to perseverance” adding, ” another important factor that binds families together, is openness to each other and this made us to reason together, talk together and act together for better solution
Further advising intending couples and newly married young people, Pa Ubochi said that they should be open to each other respect each other and have the spirit of tolerance and forgiveness pointing out that where there is no such values the union have unrest
He believes that most of the ills of the society today can be corrected and make the society to be better for it and urged the couple’s to strive hard to love each other and keep their marriage strong explaining that these values made his own union what it is today, ” every altercation does not help any family”
According to him, since I wedded my wife in 1985 both of them tried to run their home without allowing any interference from any where he emphasized, ” yes I want to state that keeping a home without undue interference from any body is just the nest thing a couple should do
Considering the role of morals in the union, Pa Ubochi believed that having good moral standing, also not only help in keeping a good home but helps in correcting and reshaping the society for the better
Pa Ubochi called on parents whose children are trying to get married to advice such children and let them know the best way to go in married life, he believes that, that if done will as well impact on the society itself
In his words, ” like couple who are responsible, any time any of your children want to get married you as a parent should direct the intending couples aright and enlighten them on family values and what the union is all about
He noted that marriages are not kept by constant conflicts as have been recorded in most recent marriages believing that where such situation are abound the matter should be handled with utmost care to avoid it’s escalation
Pa Ubochi insisted that the woman of the house should carry out her domestic responsibility diligently as ordained by God who made them helper in the home
He continued, most families are broken today because of undue interference from either mother in law, father in law or sister or brother in law’s such interference should at all cost be avoided
Pa Ubochi explained that keeping to good family value, his marriage has been very smooth and without regretted therefore he further called for proper investigation before marriages are put in place
