Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

Virginia Ngozi Etiaba (born 11 November 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as

Governor of Anambra State This is a list of administrators and governors of Anambra State. Anambra State, Nigeria, was formed on 3 February 1976 when East-Central State was divided into Anambra and Imo (Owerri) states. See also *States of Nigeria *List of Nigeria ...

, a state in South-Eastern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, from November 2006 to February 2007. Etiaba was the first woman to serve as governor of a Nigerian state. She was instated as the previous governor,

Peter Obi Peter Gregory Obi (born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and from June 2007 to March 2014. In May 2022, he became the Labour Party can ...

, was impeached by the state legislature for alleged gross misconduct. She transferred her powers back to Obi three months later when an appeal court nullified the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

Biography

Etiaba is a native of

Nnewi Nnewi is a commercial and industrial city in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. It is the second largest and second most populous city in the southern part of the country. Nnewi as a metropolis has one local government area, which is Nnewi North ...

in Anambra state. She was raised by her uncle Chief Pius Ejimbe from secondary school in

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

Nigeria,this was followed by her teachers training programme in Gombe State.she

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

the Late Be innnet Etiaba of Umudim Nnewi. For 35 years she worked as a teacher and headed several schools in

Kafanchan Kafanchan (''Fantswam'': A̠byin Fantswam; '' Nikyob'': Manɡyanɡ) is a town located in the southern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria, which owes much of its development to the railway development in the area, being situated at a particular junc ...

, Aba, Port Harcourt, and

. She retired from the services of the Anambra State Government in 1991 and founded the Bennet Etiaba Memorial Schools, Nnewi, of which she was the proprietress. In March 2006 she resigned to assume the position of the Deputy Governor of Anambra State.

Personal life

Etiaba married the late Bennet Etiaba of Umudim Nnewi in 1998. The two lived happily for 24 years until he died. She has six children. Apart from being the first female governor in Nigeria's history, she is also a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in Nigeria. It was confirmed at King's College London Hospital,

Denmark Hill Denmark Hill is an area and road in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark. It is a sub-section of the western flank of the Norwood Ridge, centred on the long, curved Ruskin Park slope of the ridge. The road is part of the A215 road, A21 ...

, South East London in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etiaba, Virginia Living people Igbo politicians Governors of Anambra State Women state governors of Nigeria People from Nnewi 1942 births 21st-century Nigerian women politicians 21st-century Nigerian politicians Recipients of the Order of the Niger Cancer in Nigeria