Newly wed - Innocent Idibia, popularly
known as 2face, and his wife, Annie
Macauley-Idibia are currently basking in
delight as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State,
Godswill Akpabio, made good his promise of
a brand new Toyota Prado Jeep and a cheque
of 3million naira. The Idibias were full of
joy last week Thursday at the Liaison office
of the Akwa Ibom State government at
Victoria Island, Lagos State where they were
presented their cheque and car keys. SEGUN
ADEBAYO caught up with them shortly after
the presentation and brings the excerpts.
When Governor Godswill Akpabio of
Akwa Ibom State announced the
donation of two brand new SUV Prado
Jeeps, what was the first thing that
came to your mind?

Honestly, I was not expecting it. I knew the
governor is used to helping the downtrodden.
I had also known before now that he has a
noble mind but I was surprised when he
made the announcement. At first, I didn’t
know what to say, because the governor
really surprised us. His appearance at the
traditional wedding really boosts our
morale. We were so honoured to have him
grace the occasion that day. It was indeed an event that would remain indelible in my
mind. We never expected it because we didn’t know the governor would come to the
occasion that day. I guess everything worked together for good.
The governor also announced the
donation of a cheque of 3million naira
that would sponsor 20 members of your
family to Dubai for the white wedding
that same day...
Words cannot successfully explain the
feelings that captured my mind that day.Like I said, it was just beyond what I could explain. Governor Akpabio’s heart of gold has been extended to my family and I am so grateful to the governor and the people of Akwa Ibom State for their support since that day. They have been so wonderful and they have also made it clear again that they are peace loving and accommodating people. It was an important occasion in our lives and in the lives of the people of Akwa Ibom State.

It was a moment of joy for us and for the
entertainment industry at large. The
governor made a physical appearance and
blessed the marriage. He recognised us as
young couple that needs his blessing as we
start our marital journey.

How do you feel about the money?
Talking about the money, it is a sign of good things to come. If the governor could support us because he loves our newly established family, it means a lot to us and we are so happy about it. The governor knows that some family members may want to be part of the occasion, but don’t have the financial capacity. So, he donated the money so that we can cater for those people. He thought that the burden of sponsorship should not be left with us alone, so he has proved that he’s a man of the people.
What about the outcry that greeted the
donation since the pronouncement was
made, how did you handle that moment?
There was nothing to handle in that
situation. Governor Akpabio felt that as a
new couple, we would need all the financial
assistance we could get.

So, if he decides to support us and shows us
love, I don’t see why that should create any
outcry. Words cannot express how grateful
we are to the governor for the love and
support we have received so far since the
pronouncement of the wedding.
But some people believe that there is
more to the donations than what we are
seeing, do you feel like that too?
I don’t feel strangely, I am just happy and
that is the most important thing. My wife is
from the Akwa Ibom State and the governor
of the state is like a father to her. The
governor said he was doing all these because
he loves his daughter and I don’t think I
should feel anyhow because a father is
showering his daughter blessings. I don’t
believe anybody should feel anyhow, it is a
celebration mood, so everybody should be
happy.

Why the choice of Dubai and not Lagos
where you have lived for a long time?
I think there is this spiritual connection to
it, but I don’t want to disclose it now. Let’s
just say that we love Dubai and we also
discovered that it was a perfect venue for us.
Some people are of the opinion that you
actually picked Dubai to control the
crowd that day, what’s your take?
We thought of a perfect place for the white
wedding and the idea of Dubai came up. I
don’t know about crowd control. We just
want to have the best of the moment and
make sure things go rightly. There is nothing more to it. It does not have to do with controlling the people or anything. The fact is that you can’t run away from the people.
Anywhere you go, you will meet people and
these people have come to celebrate with us.
You said something about spirituality,
could you shed more light on that?
I don’t want to talk about it. You guys will
soon get to know, but let us keep it that way
for now.

How easy was it making this decision?
It was an easy decision because that is how
God wanted it to be and I can’t query that.
God’s way is different from that of man.
What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. We really appreciate God for His grace on our lives and we sincerely
appreciate the governor too. My brother, no
be small thing ooo. Let me also add this that i wish my wife will be able to borrow me the car anytime I need it ooo… because that one too is important.

Annie Idibia:
How do you feel today that the governor
has redeemed his pledge to your
family?
I am feeling on top of the world right now
and I am so indebted to the governor for his
love. I don’t know how to explain the
feeling. Like my husband had said, it was an
unspeakable experience that I won’t forget
for many years to come.

Don’t you feel any pressure going through all these?
The only feeling is that I am feeling so
excited and speechless. I am from Akwa
Ibom State and I should be more than a
happy woman today that I am witnessing one of the greatest moments of my life. The
governor is a worthy leader and a caring
father that I will always cherish. The feeling has been great and I know this feeling is nothing compared to what we will
experience in Dubai. Like my husband said,
he has the full access to the car anytime.

Spiritual from who? Native doctor or pastor. Or Mr & Mrs Idibia have started seeing vision.

Idibia advertising ignorance.