When Osasu Igbinedion and her beau Nathaniel Ogwuchwe Jr, did their traditional and church weddings in Benin and Abuja respectively, the paparazzi had a field day.
Nothing compares to the grandness of a Nigerian wedding and the promise of Item 7—free food and drinks, music and souvenirs, always pulls a crowd. Whether it’s a modest guest count of 50, or an extravagant count of 1000, Nigerians will always turn up in their asoebis to celebrate love. Yup, the MET gala has nothing on Nigerian wedding guests. You can take that to the bank.
Now, back to our lovebirds.
Osasu and Nathaniel’s wedding ceremonies attracted the attendance of movers and shakers of Nigerian society, including the present governor of Edo state Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu. (That’s the kind of party some people will donate an organ to get an invite).
Now, you may be thinking, why the fuss over the couple? The answer is quite simple.
Osasu Igbinedion is royalty. Yup! Her bloodline is very rich, and I mean it literally and figuratively.
And whenever the Igbinedions throw a party, it’s a big deal in Nigeria, especially in the Benin Kingdom.
Meet the Igbinedions.
The Igbinedions are an aristocratic family from Okada Town in Edo State, the southern region of Nigeria. The patriarch of the Igbinedion dynasty, Sir (Dr.) Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion (Osasu’s grandfather), is a businessman with interests that cut across various sectors in medical care, education, oil and gas, finance (he owns a bank), mining (diamond, gold, and marble), and aviation, at local, national and international levels.
Chief Igbinedion was born on September 11th, 1934, in Okada village—the present Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. He is the only surviving child of Chief Josiah Igbinedion and Madam Okunozee Igbinedion (his mother is a descendant of the Usen Royal family).
After losing his father when he was just nine years old, he inherited a house and six cocoa plantations. He was passionate about his education and worked odd jobs at a very young age to put himself through school. He moved from Benin City to Lagos to pursue his education but sadly he had to withdraw from the Eko Boy’s High School, Lagos because of his financial situation.
He eventually got a job as a probationary teacher at Okoro II village. It was around this time that his mother found him a wife, Maria Oredola Agho, from her hometown, Uren. They had four children—Lucky, Bright, Patience and Philomena.
During his years of service in the Nigerian Police Force from 1959 -1963 in Agodi Ibadan and Osogbo Police Commands, he met and married a Scottish lady, Miss Irene Kiernan. Their union was blessed with three children; Peter Osawura, Okunozee and Ehi Igbinedion.
After four years he quit the police force. His youth and determination to succeed in life saw him move into the private sector as a Sales Representative for Leventis Motors Company, where he worked very hard to build his wealth. In 1977, he married Lady Cherry Igbinedion, the love of his life as he acknowledged, and the mother of Omosede, Ivie, Amenze and Orobosa. He acknowledges that his wives contributed to his success in various ways.
In 1974, Chief Igbinedion received the title of Esama of the Benin Kingdom for his philanthropic work assisting people in distress financially. His staunch support for education saw him become the first Nigerian to receive a license to build a private university in Nigeria—Igbinedion University. He has also received several merit awards, chieftaincy titles and honorary degrees for his contribution to the growth and development of Nigeria.
Osasu’s father, and the eldest son of Chief Igbinedion, Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion, was the governor of Edo State from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007 and a member of the political party, PDP. He established the Edo State Polytechnic Usen in 2002. His wife Eki Igbinedion, is the daughter of Prince and Princess Oyemarense of the Benin Kingdom (talk about preserving royal blood lines). She founded the Idia Renaissance to fight against the trafficking of Edo women as sex slaves in Europe.
Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche—our royal bride—is the CEO of TOS TV NETWORK which focuses on stories in Africa. Born in the United Kingdom, Osasu got her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and media studies from Stonehill College in Easton and went further to bag a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in corporate and organizational communication from Northeastern University.
She started her career as a journalist and talk show host and has won several awards for her exceptional work to improve the livelihood of women and youth. In 2017 she received the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award – Role model to the Girl child; 2018 Woman On Fire Abuja Awards- Seasoned professional of the year; and the 2019 Social Media For Social Good Awards Africa.
Not to be left out, her beau (now her husband) Nathaniel Joshua Ogwuche Jr, is a renowned wedding and event cinematographer in Benue State. Like I mentioned earlier, a wedding is a grand affair.
The Igbinedion family boasts of executive directors, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and a host of other positions in different fields of endeavor as the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Gabriel Igbinedion continue to build his legacy. Many of them are well placed in their careers and very successful in their own rights.
We wish the beloved princess (Osasu) and her prince charming (Nathaniel) a happily ever after like no other.
