Travails of Enugu first ladies

First ladies in some states in Nigeria, especially at the federal level are respected people who initiate projects that make them stand out as role models to other women wherever they stay.At the federal level, the first lady is the president’s wife but at state level, they are the wives of governors. They have their […]

First ladies in some states in Nigeria, especially at the federal level are respected people who initiate projects that make them stand out as role models to other women wherever they stay.
At the federal level, the first lady is the president’s wife but at state level, they are the wives of governors. They have their offices in government houses and are attached with protocol officers. But in Enugu State, the story seems different as most first ladies in that state have either suffered humiliation or were relegated to the background.
During the short tenure of the regime of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as the first executive governor of the state, his wife actually had an office in the state and acted as first lady. After her tenure, other first ladies were kept out of public view.
Wife of the former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo of the then Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), never enjoyed the office of a First Lady.  Chief Nwobodo had serious issues with his first wife and mother of his first son, Ifeanyi Chukwu Jnr.
Jim, as he was popularly called by his admirers later parted ways with his first wife and after some years got hooked to Pat, his current wife.
From Jim, came in Chief Christian C. Onoh of the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPN) to govern old Anambra. He never lived under the same roof with his wife, Caroline.
Like Nwobodo, Onoh had what some people regarded as ‘irreconcilable differences’ with his wife and while he lived in his late father’s edifice at Ngwo, Carol his wife lived in the Onoh’s personal house also within the premises. Throughout Onoh’s short-lived government during Alhaji Shehu Shagari era, his wife never functioned as first lady.
After the long rule of the military in the country, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani was elected the civilian governor of Enugu State. Although he married a beautiful and educated wife called Nnenna from Abia State, she never enjoyed the function of first Lady.
For reasons best known to the couple, their relationship in the Government House otherwise  known as  Lion Building or Governor’s Lodge, Enugu, was more like that of a cat and dog. This made it an uphill task for the then first lady of the state to actually function in that capacity. Eventually, the marriage collapsed like the walls of Jericho and Nnenna parted ways before her husband completed his tenure as governor. 
From Nnamani to the current Governor Sullivan Chime, the story of severed marriage has not been different. Governor Chime, whose wife Clara, is from Isiochi, Abia State, is allegedly going through the same jinx his predecessors encountered while in government house.
Before becoming governor, Chime stayed for about 15 years without a wife after parting ways with his first wife for reasons best known to them. But many in Enugu had thought that with Clara’s   charming beauty and education, his marriage was destined to last without challenges and she would function properly as the first lady of the state. But such aspiration or expectation appears a wishful thinking with the recent happenings around her in Government House.
When the problem between the couple started like a “smoldering fire” in the later part of October this year, many people did not believe it as it was likened to the TV episode entitled ‘The Rich Also Cry’.
None of Governor Chime’s spokesmen or close allies could react to the issue when approached for comments. All of them kept sealed lips, while insiders denied that the first lady has any problem about her health or freedom of movement.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said last week that it has written to Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime, requesting access to his wife, Clara.
The commission said Clara petitioned the body, accusing her husband, among other things, of holding her incommunicado in government house. The first lady asked the commission to quickly intervene and save her from alleged abuse by her husband.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication, Mohammed Nasir Ladan, said the commission has commenced investigation into the petition.
Human Rights activist lawyer as well as Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has waded into the matter too. Falana in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, accused Chime of abusing his wife. Falana’s stand was based on the petition Clara reportedly sent to the NHRC.
In the petition, Clara alleged that her husband locked her up in a room and denied her access to her four-year-old son and visitors. Falana said his client was being held against her will in the Government House on the orders of the governor.
In order to refute the allegations from his wife, last Tuesday, Chime invited reporters from outside the state and only four of them from within the state to speak on the matter.
He told them it was quite painful for him to speak out publicly about his wife’s health challenges. He insisted that he would do everything, no matter the personal pains, to protect her from ridicule.
“My wife has some medical challenges and it would be very unkind of me to talk about her condition on the pages of newspapers. I’ve done everything to protect her integrity and I’m not now going to expose her to ridicule because some people want to exploit her situation to drag me into a needless war of words,” Chime told reporters at the Government Lodge, Enugu.
The worried Governor Chime further said: “We‘ve been battling this (Clara’s health challenges) prior to my inauguration in 2011. It was so bad at a time that she had to be taken out of here (Governor’s Lodge) for treatment. When she stabilized, I pleaded with her doctors if she could be brought back here to be receiving her treatment at home and they graciously accepted.
“There was a time she was confined indoors and that was strictly on her doctor’s advice. She’s here and she can confirm or deny it. Also, the doctors then advised against allowing her access to telephones and laptop.”
Besides NHRC, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) South-East Zone has condemned in unequivocal terms the continuous “unlawful detention” of Mrs. Chime by the security details attached to Enugu Government House. CLO described it as not only barbaric but unconstitutional.
CLO said in the statement entitled: “Re- continuous unlawful detention of Mrs. Clara Chime at the Enugu State Government Lodge by security agents on the directives of Governor Sullivan Chime, which is barbaric, unlawful and unconstitutional”.
The organisation in a statement signed by its Zonal Director, Olu Omotayo, said it has become imperative for all well-meaning citizens of the country to rise in condemnation of the unlawful and uncivilized act by a governor who is the chief security officer of the state.
However the governor’s response appears not to be convincing enough as Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said in Lagos on Thursday that he has the instruction of Mrs Clara Chime in writing to challenge her illegal detention at the Government House, Enugu.
Falana in a statement issued in Lagos said through the assistance of some of the security personnel in the Government House, the governor’s wife spoke to him on phone to confirm her instructions.
He said Mrs Chime’s mother and her personal physician have also been in touch with him and have urged him to take all appropriate measures to secure her freedom from Governor Chime’s illegal confinement.
The lawyer stated thus: “Contrary to such diversionary statement I wish to state that I do not need the instructions of citizens who are illegally detained to demand for their release. Without any instructions I am duty bound to file cases in court to secure the enforcement of the fundamental rights of detainees to personal liberty. For the avoidance of doubt, the doctrine of locus standi in the area of human rights has been abolished by the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 which came into force on December 1, 2009”.
He said from the nocturnal press conference by Governor Chime, the allegation that he has held his wife in illegal custody was confirmed.
“He attempted to justify the illegality by alleging that his wife has a medical challenge and when Governor Chime was recently medically challenged he was not subjected to solitary confinement in the Government House but flown abroad for adequate medical treatment,” the lawyer said.
He accused the governor of  conspiring with his private physicians to sentence his wife to unwarranted mental torture and psychological trauma in a room in the Government House for the past four months, adding that if the governor’s claim is correct that his wife is ‘non compos mentis’, when was the Enugu Government House converted to a psychiatric hospital?
The lawyer said having confirmed the allegation that he has willfully infringed on the fundamental rights of his wife to personal liberty, dignity of the person and freedom of movement, Governor Chime should release her from illegal custody and be warned not to divert attention from the brutal abuse of the rights of his wife.
According to him, if the governor and his doctors are convinced that she is medically challenged they should send her to a hospital for quick recovery.
Falana expressed his appreciation to the Director-General of the State Security Service who directed security service personnel attached to the Government House to desist from teaming up with the Governor to hold his wife hostage.
However, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday confirmed that the wife of the Enugu state governor, Clara Chime is having medical challenges which had warranted her being confined to her apartment.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Bem Angwe who led other four members of the investigative team said they had a four hour meeting with Governor, Sullivan Chime, his wife, two members of their extended family and physicians treating the complainant.
The commission had on Thursday visited Enugu state state to see the governor, Sullivan Chime and his wife, having  received a complaint letter of alleged incarceration and subjection to horrific and
intolerable conditions that curtailed her fundamental freedoms and threatened the enjoyment of her human rights.
According to Angwe, “ We have confirmed that for the last two weeks, Mrs Chime had been confined to her apartment on medical advice for purposes of medical maintenance and security. But she confirmed having possession and control of keys to her apartment, which the team also inspected. We further confirmed that access to her is not denied after his school and lesson hours.