IANA Blog- March 2023

 

Happy March and Happy Women’s History Month,

This month, I wanted to do something special. Last year, on my February blog, during Black History Month,  I was able to focus on some famous natives of Issele Uku. Two of those were Playwright Zulu Sofola, Writer Buchi Emecheta. I figured we honor more of some women that come from Delta State.

Maryam Babanigida (Former First Lady of Nigeria, Activist)

Maryam Babanigida was the wife of General Ibrahim Babaganida who served as military president of Nigeria from 1985 to 1993. She was born Maryam Okogwu on November 1, 1948 in Asaba. Her mother was Hausa and her father was Igbo. She later moved to Kaduna and attended Queen Amina’s College for her secondary education. She later obtained a diploma in secretaryship from La Salle Extension University in Chicago, Illinois and a Certificate in Computer Science from the NCR Institute in Lagos. Before her 21st Birthday, she married Major Ibrahim Babaganida and had four children.

During her husband’s term as president, she became President of the Nigerian Army Officer Wives Association. She was credited for creating the position of First Lady of Nigeria. As the First Lady of Nigeria, she launched multiple programs to improve the life of Women in Nigeria and launched multiple schools, clinics, and daycare centers. She was very popular and became a celebrity and a fashion icon during her husband’s term and after her husband’s fall from power. She was also a big supporter of women’s rights and reached out to First Ladies of other African countries to help continue to fight for the rights of women in Africa. She continued to advocate until her death on December 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, California from Ovarian Cancer. After her death, The Times of Nigeria revered Babaganida and considered her to be one of the “Greatest women in Africa today.”

Joy Ogwu (Former Foreign Minister of Nigeria)

Joy Ogwu was born on August 22, 1946. Ogwu is from Delta State and received her BA and MA degree in political science from Rutgers University and received her PhD from the University of Lagos in 1977. She was a foreign minister for Nigeria and also was the permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York from 2008 to 2017. 

Before being a minister, Ogwu was an assistant lecturer at the Nigerian National War College and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies. She did lectures on the relationship between Africa and Latin America. She also served as Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. Ogwu was appointed minister by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo on August 30, 2006. 

Ogwu has become a voice for women’s development and human rights and has published four books: Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures, Africa and Latin America: Perspectives and Challenges, New Horizons for Nigeria in World Affairs, and Leadership, Democracy, and the Challenges of Development. 

Mandy Ojugbana (Musician, Radio Personality)

Mandy Ojugbana was born in England. Her mother is English and her father is from Asaba. She started her career as a backup singer and also sang at a choir. The manager of a gospel record company discovered her singing style and signed her to a contract. 

Ojugbana released her first album Breakthrough in 1986, where one of her hit songs was “Taxi Driver,” a reworked version of Bobby Benson’s song and released her second album All My Love in 1988. She left the music scene to study in the United Kingdom, where she studied broadcasting. She returned to Nigeria and became a radio personality for Brila FM, a sports radio station in Nigeria.

Rachel Oniga (Actress)

Rachel Oniga was born on May 23, 1957 in Lagos and was raised in Eku. She began her acting career in 1993 after getting divorced. Before acting, Oniga was working at Ascoline Nigeria Limited, a Dutch consultant company. Over the years, Oniga was in many Nollywood films such as Owo Blow, Sango, and A Naija Christmas. 

She continued to act, until her death in July 30, 2021 from a Heart-related ailment. She is survived by her daughter and her granddaughter. She also received the City People Movie Lifetime Achievement Award at the City People Movie Awards in 2017 and is recognised as a legend in the Nollywood film industry.

There it is, some famous women from Delta State. As I said before, since it is Women’s History Month, I thought it is only right to honor more women who came from Delta State and hopefully there will be more famous females to honor in the future.