Old age is indeed a blessing from God, but a double blessing is having children who can spoil you at your old age and make you feel giddy like a youth not minding your advancement in age. And that was exactly how Lady Virginia Ikwuka felt on the 20^th of February as her son; Ejike Ikwuka decided to throw her a surprise birthday party as she turned 73.

The surprise birthday party which was held at Ejike Ikwuka’s house first saw the trooping in of friends of the family as they joined in making sure the surprise goes as planned and to give Lady Virginia an unforgettable experience.

Lady Virginia was indeed surprised as she came into the house few hours after all the planning was made and was serenaded with birthday wishes and songs while she grasped in all that was planned to make her 73^rd birthday an unforgettable experience.

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Speaking with UGAMATV, Lady Virginia Ikwuka  expressed how ecstatic she was to be surprised in such a manner, stating that “I was supposed to be here on Friday to do something for my son, but they said no I should come today, I never knew this is what they were planning for me.

“I don’t know if I should shed tears of joy or if I should jump up because I never expected all these. The prayer of every parent is that even if they don’t have money their children grow up and make money for them, and that is what my children have done for me.

“My prayer for my children and their friends who came together to throw this party is that their own children will do more than this for them and that God will bless them in double portions of what they spent to put this together”, she said.

Speaking with Lady Virginia’s husband, Sir Ide Jonah Ikwuka who was equally as surprised as his wife over the event said “What happened today I have not seen something like it before; my children took us by surprise indeed with this type of party they threw for my wife. At first it felt like I was dreaming because the both of us didn’t expect it all.

“And I can say this was the will and ordination of God, because if God didn’t will it to happen it wouldn’t have happened. What I can say to them is that this way they have been taking care of their mother and I, that their children will do extra of it for them.

“I wish my wife a happy birthday and long life. She will live longer than my mother, because my mother left at the age of 120, so I pray God keeps her that long for me too in good health”, he concluded.

Ejike Ikwuka (ebekuedike n’ezinifite), the brain behind the whole surprise said the whole thing was the idea of him and his siblings. Adding that their mother means the world to them, he said “She is everything to my siblings and I. we are surprising her in this manner today because she is a wonderful woman and has done a lot for me.

“Her prayers got me where I am today. She is the sweetest mother in the world and I can’t trade her for anything and am just trying to appreciate her in my own little way. She is a very strong woman and I pray God keeps her alive for us so that she can keep doing what she is doing”, he declared.

A relative of the family, Mrs Chinonso Ezeani while giving reasons for the event said, “came together to put up this surprise for her because she is worth it and it’s her day. She was amazed and really glad to see all we prepared for her and it gives us joy to see her that happy. We wish her more years on earth so that we can keep celebrating her in more ways”.

Some of the friends of the family were not left out in their praises for the celebrant as Mr Stanley Kosisochukwu, declared that “Am here to celebrate our mom Virginia in a little surprise her son prepared for her. We came along to make sure everything about the surprise goes well and am happy to be here, and his mom appreciated it.

“I think they are blessed. If you have a son like this then I don’t think there is anything more you can ask from God. The smile on her face was worth the effort we put in to make this possible. I pray God blesses them more”, he said.

Chief Onwezuoaku who is also a friend to Ejike Ikwuka said that “It’s a thing of happiness for me to celebrating with this wonderful family today. We pray that she lives longer and that we will come back to celebrate her in a bigger way because it’s not small feat to reach this age. And my prayer for this birthday is that God answers all her heart desires in this new age for her”.