Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi
First Lady of Nigeria in 1966
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victoria Nwanyiocha Aguyi-Ironsi ⓘ (21 November 1923 – 23 August 2021) was the second First Lady of Nigeria from 16 January 1966 to 29 July 1966.[1]
21 November 1923
Lady Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi | |
|---|---|
| |
| First Lady of Nigeria | |
| In role 16 January 1966 – 29 July 1966 | |
| Head of State | Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi |
| Preceded by | Flora Azikiwe |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Gowon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Victoria Nwanyiocha 21 November 1923 |
| Died | 23 August 2021 (aged 97) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8 |
She was the widow of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who was the first Nigerian military head of state, he was killed in Ibadan[2] in a counter coup led by Murtala Muhammed which led to the installation of General Yakubu Gowon.[3]
Biography
She hailed from Ohokobo Afara in Umuahia North Local Government Area.[4] She married Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as a student of Holy Rosary Convent School, Okigwe in 1953.[5][6]
Following the death of Samuel Ademulegun and his wife, she moved his children from Kaduna to Lagos and cared for them.[7]
She had 8 children who were taken away and cared for by nuns in Ibadan under the direction of Adekunle Fajuyi during the Nigerian Civil War.[8]
She served as a commissioner of the Local Government Services Commission in Umuahia.[8]
The advent of the office of the First Lady of Nigeria came with Ironsi.[9] Aguiyi-Ironsi brought prestige to the office. She was often garbed in traditional outfits and her style was described as "pretty and effortlessly regal".[5]
Aguiyi-Ironsi died on 23 August 2021, at the age of 97, after suffering from a stroke and COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.[10][11]