An 87-year-old former federal lawmaker and lawyer, Senator Cyrus Nunieh, on Tuesday married a much younger wife at Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The bride, identified as Rosemary Ijeoma, is in her 40s.
Nunieh, a former member of the National Assembly, who said he was now a king in Ogoniland, River State, said he had been lonely since his former wife died in 1991.
Speaking with a Punch correspondent, Nunieh pointed out that his children were all adults, who had ventured into various businesses of their own, adding that he could no longer cope with loneliness.
He described his new wife as an intelligent woman, who would always be there for him and share ideas with him.
“I cannot continue to stay alone. I love her and she loves me. We understand each other and she is also intelligent. In marriage, there are advantages somewhere and disadvantages in other areas.
“There is no limitation in age. Some may say you are old; you may soon die. But some were dead even before they were born. Some were one year or two years old and they die. Death is not always dependent upon a man’s age,” he said.
About her new wife, Nunieh said, “You know that rose is the best of all flowers and we have two Marys in the Bible; we have Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
“She too (Rosemary) is a believer of the Bible. But why are you particular about her age? She is not an infant. She is a very charming woman.”
Nunieh is the president of Bori State Movement and the first lawyer in Ogoniland.
He is a campaigner for the creation of Bori State out of the present Rivers State.
