When Ademola Adedigba proposed to his girlfriend, Halimah Sulaiman, last November, it was only a matter of time for him to claim his bride once they had their wedding in March this year.
But when the index case of COVID-19 was reported in Nigeria, fear began to creep in. It was not until 10 days to his big day that he came to the harsh realisation that his wedding plans were just heading down the drain. “I felt sure nothing was going to stop the day, we had done all the preliminary arrangements of hall reservation, souvenirs and all.
“I had so much faith that my wedding would hold no matter what. Even when people said we should postpone, I said no; it will hold. I just needed my parents and my fiancé’s parents to be available.For Ms Ugbede, this year had begun on a cheerful and promising note. As most bride-to-be would feel, she had a great time fantasising about marital life that lies ahead of her.
“I thank Allah that we had not started the programme before the enforcement of order took effect. That would have pained me more because everything would have gone into waste. Asked if the pandemic lockdown affected her plans, she related how the venue of the wedding had to be changed from the initial venue to her husband’s church within a day.“It was tough, but I was marrying someone I love. That’s what mattered.”
When the index case was reported in Lagos, she had little fear that it might somehow affect her wedding plans. “We had spent lots of money likewise our parents, so there was a reason why things ended up the way they did and we are grateful to Allah despite all odds,” she said.The bride said she wanted a large crowd and had even rented a hall with over 500 capacity but the money had not been refunded.
It was not until March when the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control advised against gatherings of 50 people or more during the pandemic that the coronavirus-driven death knell hit the industry.
adedigba00 Sherrif!!
adedigba00 Nice! Congratulations!