Professional Nurse/Midwife, Girl-Child Advocate
Mrs. Christiana Virginia Koripamo (née Kemmer Fetepigi) was a renowned nurse/midwife from the 1930s to the 1980s, delivering over 1,000 babies. She was also a passionate advocate for women’s rights in the Niger Delta and beyond.
Synopsis
Mrs. Christiana Virginia Koripamo (1910-2015), affectionately known as “Mama,” was a professional birth attendant in Eastern Nigeria (later old Rivers State). She established and administered the renowned Irigha Maternity Home in the early 1970s and 1990s. Her services were highly sought after and appreciated by all strata of Port Harcourt society and beyond. Mama was also dedicated to girl-child advocacy. A staunch Anglican (St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Hospital Road), she was blessed with a long life, passing away at the age of 104.
Birth and Early Life
Christiana Virginia Ayibamieirigha Koripamo (née Kemmer Fetepigi) was born on December 26, 1910, in Kaiama, Kolokuma clan, Eastern Nigeria (now Bayelsa State). Her father was Mr. Jacob Fetepigi Amaran of Kaiama, and her mother was Timiebi Kemmer of Twon-Brass, both in Bayelsa State. She was a granddaughter of the famous King Amaran Odi, the Odo of Kaiama, who saved the Lander Brothers during one of their expeditions in the Niger Delta.
Born a twin, her mother sought refuge with Rev. Mark Lele in the Mission House to avoid the superstitions and taunts of the natives. Unfortunately, Mama lost her twin sister in infancy but was destined to save lives in her chosen profession.
Education
Mama attended St. Barnabas School, Twon-Brass, from 1919 to 1928, excelling in her studies. Her guardian, Rev. Mark Lele, moved her to St. Monica’s Girls School, Ogbunike, Anambra State, where she completed her primary education in 1930. The school’s program included preparatory training for marital life, where she learned needlework, sewing, cookery, laundry, and confectionery, later adding baking.
She trained at the reputable Iyi-Enu Anglican Mission Hospital from 1931 to 1933, qualifying as a nurse/midwife. The School of Midwifery had only five girls enrolled initially, with two expatriate female doctors and four expatriate nursing sisters instilling discipline, honesty, humility, and service. Mama excelled academically, earning the top spot in the National Midwives Board Register.
Career
After qualifying as a midwife, she opened a maternity home in Kaiama, running it from 1933 to 1936. She took delivery cases of Major Isaac Adaka Boro and Capt. George Amangala, two revolutionary heroes of the Nigerian Civil War. Her dedicated service laid a solid foundation for reducing maternal and infant mortality and breaking down old beliefs about female circumcision and twin births.
Marriage and Children
Christiana married her long-time friend Rowland James Erasmus Koripamo on January 9, 1937, and they had six children. In their 55 years of marriage, she was his number one Public Relations Manager, supporting him through his life as a businessman, administrator, politician, and father. He described her as his “Rock of Gibraltar” – impregnable, immovable, and resilient.
Irigha Maternity Home
In 1972, at the age of 61, Mama, with her husband’s support, opened Irigha Maternity Home at No. 1 Ndoki Street in Port Harcourt. The maternity home operated for over twenty years, and her services were highly sought after and appreciated by all strata of Port Harcourt society. Mama actively advocated against female genital mutilation, preference for male children, teenage pregnancy, and domestic abuse, while promoting education for the girl-child, family planning, and health policies of Nigeria. She retired in 1996 at the age of 86.
Honours
- 2005 – National Merit Award – Member of the Order of the Niger (MON)
- 2005 – Life Member of the National Council of Women’s Societies
- 2006 – Bayelsa Women of Distinction Award
- 2007 – C. V. Koripamo School of Midwifery, Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital
Death
Mrs. Christiana Virginia Koripamo died on February 15, 2015, at the age of 104. She reportedly died of natural causes and was buried at Kaiama town, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, on March 14, 2015, by the Anglican Communion.