On this day, Saturday, December 26th, 1992, a young Catholic priest, barely four months off his ordination, oversaw a matrimonial holy mass that would turn out to be, today, a bonded history of love and passionate references. The young priest would later become a renowned educationist, Very Reverend Father Professor Anthony Basil Chiegboka. The couple who walked down the aisle on that sunny Saturday morning were two lovebirds from Umueze Village, Isuofia: Charles Chukwuma Soludo and Frances Nonye Ezenwanne. The venue was Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church, Isuofia. Three decades later, those solemn vows between the two young beautiful couple, have conquered time, turbulence and tryouts. They became Charles Chukwuma and Frances Nonye Soludo.
Chukwuma and Nonye are unique tale of love. A mutual network of deep passion that drives two great hearts, built closely and unbreakably as one. What the couple has brought to the table of matrimonial equation, is the undefeatability of love and sacrifice. While Nonye exudes calm, humility and compassion, Chukwuma on the other hand, emits courage, ingenuity and a top-level IQ. Those rare traits have blended finely to form an indivisible union dominated by countless successes. Thirty years later, with six amazing kids and an indomitable profile, Nonye and Chukwuma Soludo have set a standard hard to match.
Nonye and Chukwuma Soludo met in the late eighties. Both soon started getting used to the admirable sight of each other. Nonye was a beauty to behold. But it was not readily her beautiful radiance that got the young Chukwuma entrapped. However, Nonye’s seraphic beauty did not becloud her meekness and simplicity. Charley nwa-Mgbafor chased those values bravely for a while and they soon became his forever. This sweet love story was definitely going to be: It always looks like Frances was created for Charles, alone. Her sleek wisdom and unassuming figure, exonerate each unseen flaw. But then, a Queen is flawless. The beautiful couple has been sure to replicate each of their admirable standards in their six children: Adaora, Ozonna, Ifeatu, Chinua, Oduko, and Zikora.
Thirty years of Chukwuma and Nonye Soludo’s marital union stares faithfully in the face of true love, tolerance, hard work, focus, selflessness, loyalty and tenacity. The couple has remained a symbolic reference for other unions. Throughout Professor Soludo’s
scholarly and professional odysseys, from Nigeria, the United States, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom down to a record total of forty three countries, there was always one strong and compassionate woman standing by the doorstep to give those calm, warm and encouraging hugs. There was a queen, dishing out rare counsels of wisdom. A godly woman committing each journey to God’s all-seeing eyes. There was a mother, a warrior, an Amazon, an angel, a true gift to mankind.
In 1998, Charles Chukwuma Soludo was promoted to Professor of Economics of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, his alma mater, and where he was a lecturer between 1988 to 2003. Between those periods, his wife, Nonye, owned and ran one of the first and biggest ICT centres on campus. It was called “The Queen’s Computers” while she was known in the university environment as “Madam Queens.” Nonye graduated with honours in Computer Science also from the prestigious University of Nigeria. Owning an computer centre as big as hers, at the time when the smart device was just making inroads in Nigeria, was an uncommon feat. But then, it shows Mrs Soludo’s history of hard work, independence and entrepreneurial dexterity. It shows the couple’s backgrounds of discipline, foresight and brilliance.
Mrs Soludo’s ageless motherly compassion glared all through her business. On the campus, “The Queen’s Computers” was hub for students, lecturers and other university workers. Professor Soludo, would often drive by to check on his wife and her business. Many years later, students who graduated from the ICT house would go on to tell how Mrs Nonye Soludo would break the convention to accommodate poor students who could not afford the cost of learning computer at the time.
Given that the cost of learning the device at the period was fairly high, she would often pair two students to one computer. Permit to say that Charly Nwa Mgbafor is a lucky man.
It’s thirty adventurous years and counting for these two role models. What better days could a couple ever ask God for? Chukwumanonyelum! Happy Pearl Anniversary to Charles Chukwuma and Frances Nonye Soludo. May your lives and union continue to set examples of love and strength to the universe, and may this milestone set a new beacon of many alluring memories to come. Amen!
Written by DANIEL EZEIGWE
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