Flora Ogbenyeanu Ogoegbunam Azikiwe (7 August 1917 – August 1983) was the first wife of Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria.

She served as the first First Lady of Nigeria from 1 October 1963 to 16 January 1966.

Flora Ogoegbunam was born in Onitsha, a city in present-day Anambra State to Chief Ogoegbunam, the Adazia of Onitsha (Ndichie Chief) from Ogboli Agbor Onitsha.

She met Nnamdi Azikiwe there in 1934, and the two were married on 4 April 1936.

Their wedding was held in James Town, Accra, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) where her husband was working as the editor of African Morning Post at the time.

Flora was a member of the Eastern Working Committee of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). She was the first Patron of the Home Science Association (HSA), formerly known as Federal Home Science Association.

On August 1983, she died. She and her husband had three sons and a daughter – Wikipedia

Photo 1. Flora Azikiwe c1959

Photo 2. Mrs Flora Azikiwe as she stepped down from her plane in New York. Presenting the bouquet of flowers is four year old Bunmi Okediji daughter of a Nigerian diplomat . 1963

Photo 3. Flora Azikiwe (2nd left) with Lord and Lady Douglas (4th and 3rd respectively) and Marchioness of Exeter (extreme left) in London. ND

Photo 4. Mrs Flora Azikiwe (wife of the first president of Nigeria) in America chatting with the wife of the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Mrs Udochi (l) and Mrs Nancy Williams, President of the American Friends of Nigeria. 1963

Photo 5. Zik when he was a student at MBHS, Lagos 1917

Photo 6. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Miss Flora Ogoegbunam wedding photo in 1936

Source: Information.NG

Photo 7. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Flora Azikiwe at a child’s christening April 1961

How best can you get to know Britain? Ask eight Northern Nigerian ladies and they will tell you “by living in British homes” 1960 Daily Times June 1960

The ladies were:

Malama Ya Anusa – Teacher

Malama Ayishatu – Community Attendant

Miss Dorothy Makun Kpojime – Teacher

Malama Hadiza Mohammed Tukur – House Wife

Malama Zariya Abdulrahman – Adult Educationist

Malama Rakiya Kate – Nurse

Malama Chima Dacici – Health Visitor

Malama Yargoggo Dogondaji – Home-craft Organiser

Photo 1 – Visitors with farmers wife, Mrs Harrison in her home.

Photo 2 – Visitors in the home of Mrs Dorothy Dawson. Mrs Dawson shows her guests a new knitting pattern over a cup of tea.

Photo 3 – “About to have the ride of their lives”. The ladies cling to their seats as they start their journey from Minehead to Dunster Beach on a stagecoach drawn by four horses.

Ebuka Obi Uchendu outfit to the Soundcity MVP Awards was amazing but I can’t help thinking it reminds me of colonial uniforms.

I think it’s more like those worn by colonial foresters

What do you think?

I had to dig out my copy of Nigeria in costume 1960……

1. A Forester

“Much of Western Nigeria including Warri and Benin provinces are covered with thick forests of valuable hard woods which play an important part in Nigeria’s exports and represent an important source of wealth to the country.

A large number of men are therefore employed in guarding, maintaining and replanting these forests

The foresters wear a distinctive green drill uniform with green puttees and green fez” c1960

2. Argungu – Local Administration Police Sergeant – Hausa

“Up to 1954 it was customers throughout Northern Nigeria for the local administration Police Force to have their own distinctive uniform” c1954

3. Local Administration Police Constable From Bida c1954

4. Local Administration Police Constable From Katsina c1954