For about two decades between 1999-2015 it seems the position of first lady in Government House, Calabar was jinx and reserved only for non-indigent ladies until Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs) Linda Ayade arrived the scene as the occupiers of the First Lady positions between 1999-2007 and 2007-2015 were ladies breed and brought up outside the shores of Cross River State.
In 1999, when the democratically elected government headed by President Olusegun Obasanjo took-off the first lady acronym was invented in Nigeria to suit the wives of the president at Federal and Governors of States styled after the United States where we are coping democracy from. Barr. (Mrs) Onari Duke took the first slot of the Cross River first lady between 1999-2007 and Barr. (Mrs) Obioma Imoke followed suite in 2007-2015 both married to Ex-Governors Donald Duke and Sen. Liyel Imoke who governed in those era.
Unarguable, the first lady position is very sensitive even more than any official of Government, be it minister, commissioner, legislative, judge or that of a permanent secretary. In official protocol First Ladies comes immediately after their husbands. Ask even president Mohammadu Buhari who is reputed to be a man of steel character: rigid and incorruptible about the powers of his heartthrob, Her Excellency, Aisha Buhari (First Lady of Nigeria) who dragged him to move to Aso Rock Villa when he was not ready.
Media reports had it that Mrs. Buhari moved into the Presidential Lodge first, prompting a visit by the president her husband who later left that day and followed her after two days. This illustrates the fact that even a man of Gen. Buhari caliber is subject to whims and caprice of his wife. Never mind the showmanship being exhibited by the residency claiming that Mrs. Buhari has no official position assigned to her. After all, the tag “wife of president” does not stop her from performing any function as she is regularly seen on Network News every now and then. Infact, Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari even inherited the position of a chairperson of African Firs Ladies immediately on assumption of office from her predecessor Dame Patience Jonathan. So, who is fooling who now?
Back in Cross River State the First Ladies that had occupied Government House, Calabar in the past decided many things that happened there. Some good and some bad! But they were powerful all the same. If you are doubting me, ask one Ex-speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly from Northern Cross River who almost coasted home with the nomination of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) into the senate in 2015 elections but was stopped at the eleventh hour (thirty minutes) to voting when his wife ignorantly went to the then First Lady to thank her for supporting the husband’s bid.
It is believed that the Ex-Governor’s wife was jolted. Immediately after the visit, she was said to have held her husband to ransom to revert it to her choice aspirant a lady that was in a foreign land taking treatment for her ill health. This senator lady was away throughout the campaigns till elections which she won and returned to take her seat in the Red Chambers. But do not quote me wrongly: I never said she violated any electoral law or constitutional provision.
Remember? Senator Oyinlola Omisere who won elections into the senate while in jail in Agodi prison for allegedly collaborating to murder Chief Bola Ige. Then, this senator lady has done no wrong. That is to tell you that first ladies whether at federal of state level: are no push over.
What I heard some people complaining about First Ladies who were in Government House, Calabar is that they were too influential and a pain in the neck of their husbands. Of course, you know that the neck carries the head and if there is pain there the head can only endure it. But I do asked them, did their husband complain?
The struggle for the good things of life will always bring a clash of interests, anyway in appointments, contracts and social largesse. It is an open secret that a chunk of appointments into government were decided or sponsored by these first ladies in Government House. Plumb jobs or contracts were given to their allied or relatives indiscriminately.
The other day, it was Mallam El-Rufia now Governor of Kaduna State who told his traducers that when they are in position of authority, they should go ahead and give patronage to their own opponents hence he was accused of patronizing his friends and relatives as minister of the then Federal Capital Territory with plots allocation. My take is that these First Ladies grew-up somewhere else which is no fault of theirs.
Today, however, the present First Lady Her Excellency Dr. Linda Ayade has made history as the first fully home-grown and locally breed. She is not only from Bebuabong in Obudu Urban I, the same Local Government with her husband, His Excellency, Gov. Ben Ayade but completed both her primary and secondary education in Obudu before proceeding to the University of Port Harcourt for her graduate studies in Medicine and Surgery.
Dr. (Mrs) Ayade who the writer of this piece knew at closed quarter for decades is an epitome of virtue, patently reserved, simple, humble, intelligent, shy but beautiful.
No wonder, the Governor, her husband enjoys so much peace and is focused. It is her good qualities that kept her at the backstage during nomination and upto electioneering campaigns where she was rarely seen in public that made some people hazard a guess whether Sen. Ayade had a wife or whether he was married to woman of some distant land. One would not be far from the truth if I say that Her Excellency is an Angel, quite, simple, disciplined and unassuming. I am, also tempted to state here that this First Lady position is foisted on her by providence because she is neither politically ambitious nor known to have contested for any post before now.
Her disciplined lifestyle is no doubt a product of her upbringing by her parents Mr & Mrs Francis Akpo who were both teachers in secondary school and have retired at the rank of principals. In those days and upto the 80’s teachers’ children were expected to be good examples to their peers. So, Dr. Linda Ayade as a young girl cocked, swept the environment; carryout House chores; went to farm with her parents and studied hard to pass her exams.
Cross River State is blessed to have such a personality who have pass through the home grill – calmed, quite and purposely woman to support His Excellency Senator Ayade officially and otherwise. She will definitely give truthful, candid, passionate and apolitical advise that would invariably build good governance in the state which is already evident on how appointments and policies of government have been shaped in the few months of this administration.
I doff my hat for Her Excellency, Dr Linda Ayade, this mother of four for possessing good qualities and for being an inspirational partner and friend to our amiable Governor Prof. Ayade. There is nothing for one to add or substrate but to pray for this pair to be happy and successful in Government House, Calabar.
Augustine Ogar is the S.A. Publicity to the Governor
