Dame Virginia Ngozi Etiaba was the Governor of Anambra State

Anambra State

Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its name is an anglicized version of the original 'Oma Mbala', the native name of the Anambra River. The Capital and the Seat of Government is Awka. Onitsha and Nnewi are the biggest commercial and industrial cities, respectively. The state's theme is...

, a state in south-central Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, from November 2006 to February 2007. She is the first female governor in Nigeria's history. Her instatement came as the previous governor, Peter Obi

Peter Obi

Peter Obi was governor of Anambra State in Nigeria from 17 March 2006 to 2 November 2006, when he was impeached and from 9 February 2007 to 29 May 2007 after his impeachment was overturned...

, was impeached by the state legislature for alleged gross misconduct. She transferred her powers back to Obi 3 months later when an appeal court nullified the impeachment

Impeachment

Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....

.

Etiaba is a native of Umudim Nnewi, in the Nnewi North Local Council of Anambra State.

For 35 years she worked as a teacher and headed several schools in Kafanchan

Kafanchan

Kafanchan is a town in southern Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. It is the location of a junction station of the Nigerian Railway Corporation,and it sits on the line connecting Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri....

, Aba

Aba

- Geographic toponymns :* Aba, Abia, a city in Nigeria and former second capital of Biafra* Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, prefecture in Sichuan, China** Aba County, county in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China** Aba, Sichuan, main town in Aba County...

, Port Harcourt, and Nnewi

Nnewi

Nnewi is the second largest city in Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. Nnewi as a metropolitan city encompasses two local government areas, Nnewi North and Nnewi South; Nnewi North is commonly referred to as Nnewi central, and comprises four autonomous quarters: Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim, 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

Deputy Governor

A Deputy governor is a gubernatorial official who is subordinated to a governor, rather like a Lieutenant governor.-British colonial cases:In the British empire, there were such colonial offices in :...

of Anambra State.

She was a member of the Association of women Entrepreneurs, International Literacy Programme for the Nnewi North Local Council, the Environmental International Vanguard and the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP). She was also a Synod members of the Church of Nigerian (Anglican Communion), a member of the Christian Association of Nigerian Schools, a member of the Board of Governors of the Okongwu Memorial Grammar School Nnewi, member of the Board of Governors Holy Child Convent School, Amichi and a Juvenile Court Assessor for the Nnewi Magisterial District.

She is the widow of B. M. C Etiaba, a legal practitioner, and mother of six adult children.