By John Odhe, YENAGOA
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has urged newly wedded couples to make the virtues of love, forgiveness and compromise the bedrock of their marriage.
Diri gave the charge at the marriage ceremony of one of his aides, Mr. Binaebi Okpofabiri, and former Miss Janet October Lokpobiri, over the weekend at the Chief Diepreye Alameiyesegha Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa.
Represented by his deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, he stressed that the ability to manage differences was key to sustaining a successful conjugal relationship.
The governor, noted that marriage brings together two individuals with different backgrounds and personalities, thereby making disagreements inevitable, maintaining that couples must learn to accommodate each other at all times.
His words: “No two saints are married because we are all humans with individual differences.
“Surely there is bound to be some differences but it is your ability to manage these differences is what matters. Cultivate the habit of tolerance and make forgiveness your watchword in your day-to-day living.”
Diri congratulated the couple and commended family members, friends and well-wishers for coming together to celebrate the union, noting that support should not only be shown when people were no more.
In a statement by the Senior Special Adviser to the deputy governor on media, Mr. Doubara Atasin, Diri also appreciated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who served as the father of the day, for his contributions to Bayelsa State and Nigeria.
In his remarks, the minister of State for petroleum resources (Oil) and father of the day, Senator Lokpobiri expressed joy over the union and congratulated the couple as they began their journey of love and companionship.
He prayed God to bless the marriage with peace, joy, understanding, good health and lasting love, urging the couple to nurture their bond and shared dreams.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of the occasion and Chief Executive Officer of De Wayles Group of Companies, Dr Victor Wayles Egukawhore, also congratulated the couple and advised them to cherish their union.
The groom, Binaebi Okpofabiri, an aide to governor Diri, hails from Ogboloma Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, while the bride, Janet October Lokpobiri, is a niece of Senator Lokpobiri.
Some notable personalities at the event were serving and former federal and state lawmakers, including Mr. Rodney Ambaiowei, Benard Kenebai, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Thompson Amule.
Others were the coordinator, Bayelsa State Community Safety Corps, Gen. Eric Angaye, chairmen of local government councils and other top government functionaries.
