Teacher, Principal, Administrator
Dame Florence Inara Spiff was a formidable educationist from the Twon-Brass Community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. She contributed immensely to the development of education in the Niger Delta and beyond.
She was best known as a staunch Anglican and educationist who impacted the education sector of old Rivers State from the early ’70s.
Parents/Birth
Dame Florence Inara Spiff was born into the family of the late Venerable Alfred A. Dandeson Spiff and the late Mrs. Rose Matilda Spiff (née Alagoa) on the 7th of March, 1936, at St. Luke’s Vicarage, Nembe. She was the ninth of twelve children. Only eight grew up to adulthood out of the twelve. She had a good upbringing in her formative years as her parents were well-to-do at the time.
Education
Inara, as she was popularly known, attended St. Barnabas Primary School, Twon-Brass. From there, she spent a short period at St. Cyprian’s School, Port Harcourt (then Eastern Nigeria) before she was sent to the prestigious Mary Hanney Primary School, Oron (Eastern Nigeria), a boarding school for girls, where she completed her primary education. Thereafter, she attended Union Secondary School, Ibiaku, Ikot Ekpene, where she obtained her West African School Certificate.
Inara Spiff was sent off to boarding school when she was barely ten years old by her grandmother, with whom she was staying in Twon-Brass. In one of her write-ups, she said her grandmother woke her up early one morning and told her that they were twelve hours apart. She, the grandmother, was at 6:00 AM while Miss Inara was at her 6:00 PM, and that she wouldn’t want Inara to suffer looking after her, so off to boarding school she went. It was much later in life that she understood the implication of her grandmother’s words and actions.
After a two-year stint as a teacher at St. Michael Girl’s Primary School, Aba, Inara went back to school. She attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha, an all-boys school for her Higher School Certificate (HSC). She was one of the only two girls at the school at the time. She taught again at Zixton Memorial Grammar School, Ozubulo, for two years, then proceeded to the Federal Advanced Teachers College, Yaba-Lagos. There, she obtained a National Certificate of Education (NCE) in 1964. Armed with her NCE, she taught at Anglican Grammar School, Umuahia, and also at Queen’s College, Enugu until the war broke out in 1966. During this period, Inara joined the Red Cross, helping to ferry food to the war front at Ofume along with other teachers.
Subsequently, she got admitted into the Plymouth Marjon University, Plymouth, England, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1979.
Career
Her public service experience includes working at the Customs and Excise in 1961, the Eastern Nigeria Sports Commission, Enugu from 1966 to 1968, and briefly at the National Sports Commission, Lagos in 1968.
After the war, she was reabsorbed into the Ministry of Education in old Rivers State and started teaching at Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt, in the early ’70s. She was later transferred to Holy Rosary Secondary School, Port Harcourt, as Vice Principal to assist the late Mrs. Wanjoke Ekpebu. After Mrs. Ekpebu’s demise, Inara was made the acting principal of the school. In 1975, she was sent to head Saint Jude’s Girls School, Amarata Yenagoa. During her spry period, she was a notable disciplinarian and a prolific teacher who knew the teaching job well.
While she was at St. Jude’s, Amarata, Inara made up her mind to upgrade her status from trained non-graduate teacher to trained graduate teacher from 1976 to 1979. Then, she went to the United Kingdom for further studies.
On her return from England, she was absorbed into the Schools Management Board, Port Harcourt, as a Member. When the Board was dissolved, she was moved to the Ministry of Education, Port Harcourt, as Director of the Inspectorate Division. When Bayelsa State was created on the 1st of October, 1996, she was among the first set of civil servants that moved to Yenagoa.
On the 31st of December, 1996, she retired from the Bayelsa State Civil Service. In 2007, she was appointed Commissioner in the Bayelsa State Civil Service Commission. She served in the Commission for two and a half years.
Social Life
Aside from her educational feats, Dame Florence Inara Spiff was actively involved in the social development of society. She was a leader in many women’s organizations, among them: Gbobokiri Erema Ogbo of Twon-Brass, of which she was the foundation President. She was also a member of the National Council of Women Societies.
Devout Anglican
Inara, daughter of an Archdeacon, was a devout Christian, participating actively in Kingdom activities. She was a member of the Women’s Guild; a Patron of the Boys Brigade; the Diocesan Youth Fellowship; Patron of St. Peter’s Choir (a group that consistently participated in all her celebrations).
In 2006 or thereabout, she was Knighted as a Knight of Blessed Virgin Mary. A soldier of Christ.
Dame Inara Spiff was Chairman of the St. Peter’s Nursery and Primary School Board, where she brought her great wealth of experience to bear. Her knowledge, exposure, and influence contributed immensely to the growth of the school in both academic and non-academic areas. She was also a member of the building committee.
Very compassionate and hardworking, Inara Spiff was involved in the development of society and people. She mentored many who have become prominent in our society today, including Heads of Service, Principals, and Members of the Judiciary, to name but a few.
Family
Dame Florence Inara Spiff, a very huge and elegant-looking lady, was never married, but she had a daughter (Mrs. Aifie Akpotabor) and a host of many other relations.
She was a pillar in her family and will be missed by all. She frequently sponsored the Ada-Spiff family descendants’ meetings at her Bay Bridge residence in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and attended such meetings hosted by others in the family.
Last Days/Her Death
Dame Florence Inara Spiff, at a time, was out of circulation; she could barely walk because of her mass and thereon stayed indoors. Consequently, it was reported she died of natural causes in Yenagoa on the 30th of September, 2021, at the age of 85.
