Victoria Nwanyiocha Aguyi-Ironsi (21 November 1923 – 23 August 2021) was the second

First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not create an office ...

from 16 January 1966 to 29 July 1966. She was the widow of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who was the first Nigerian military head of state, he was killed in Ibadan in a counter coup led by

Murtala Muhammed Murtala Ramat Muhammad (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian general who led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi military regime and featured prominently during the Nigerian Civil War ...

which led to the installation of General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquish ...

Biography

She hailed from Ohokobo Afara in

Umuahia North Umuahia North is a Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the city of Umuahia. It has an area of 245 km and a population of 220,660 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 440. Localities Towns and Vi ...

Local Government Area. She married Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as a student of Holy Rosary Convent School,

Okigwe Okigwe is the third largest city in Imo state in Nigeria after Owerri and Orlu. Okigwe is located in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Nigeria. The city lies between the Port Harcourt- Enugu-Maiduguri rail line, being the nearest city to the ...

in 1953. Following the death of

Samuel Ademulegun Brigadier Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun (20 October 1924 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian Army officer, he was Commander of the 1st brigade during the January 1966 coup. Early life and family He was born on 20 October 1924 in Ondo Town, Western ...

and his wife, she moved his children from

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

and cared for them. She had 8 children who were taken away and cared for by nuns in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

under the direction of

Adekunle Fajuyi Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (26 June 1926 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian soldier of Yoruba origin. and the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria. Originally a teacher and clerk, Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti joined the army in ...

during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

. She served as a commissioner of the Local Government Services Commission in

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nig ...

. The advent of the office of the First Lady of Nigeria came with Ironsi. Aguiyi-Ironsi brought prestige to the office. She was often garbed in traditional outfits and her style was described as "pretty and effortlessly regal". Aguiyi-Ironsi died on 23 August 2021, at Federal Medical Centre Umuahia after suffering a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. She was 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguiyi-Ironsi, Victoria 1923 births 2021 deaths First Ladies of Nigeria