A 29-year-old man, Pastor Oghale Ighele, and his bride, Dr. Clementina Agbate, 28, got married recently as virgins.
The couple exchanged vows at the Holy Spirit Mission at Marcillina’s Place, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, where the officiating Minister and Presiding Bishop, Charles Ighele, revealed to the guests that both the bride and groom were virgins at their ages till they got married.
Confirming his statement, the groom said one thing that made it possible for him to remain a virgin until his wedding night, was the Christian upbringing he had. He disclosed that there were temptations from many areas but counseling helped him to win the battle against sex before marriage.
“While I was growing up, my parents kept hammering on the need for me to keep myself and never mess up and I heeded their advice. I tried to make friends who would not deceive me into having sex before marriage. I was also fully involved in church activities and I thank God for guiding me,” he told The Sun.
On her part, the bride said fulfilling the vow to keep herself until marriage was one of the best things that would happen to her.
“I am happy and fulfilled marrying as a virgin, though it was not an easy thing to do. I took the decision of remaining a virgin till I get married when I was a teenager. Meanwhile, I grew up in a Christian home. So, I had to keep myself.
“It was not easy for me. I was severally tempted by my lecturers while in the university. Friends also tried to lure me into fornication and men asked me out. In fact, I went through so many challenges. But what guided me was God and my principle.” he said
Bishop Ighele, who is the father of the groom, said the groom was not the only one among his children that married as a virgin.
“That is who my children are . The one that wedded last year in United States of America at 25 was a virgin. I make them my friends. As I speak, there is a girl we adopted as our child, she never had sex before. She is now in her final year at the university. When she was in secondary school, she met my wife and said, mummy, I have feelings towards one boy. You know that it is not easy for a child to meet her mother and say such a thing. The reason is that we created an atmosphere of friendship with our children, that is why they were able to tell us what they are passing through. The warning I used to give to my daughters was that, if they mess up sexually, I would not like them to mess up sexually. But, in case they misbehave and get pregnant, I will take care of that child. In fact, they saw the love more than the stick. So, with that, when they are tempted, they say no because they do not disappoint me,” he said.