Profile
Dr Ipalibo Gogo Banigo (née Harry) is the present Deputy Governor of Rivers State, who assumed office in 2015 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party. She is the first female Deputy Governor of Rivers State. She has previously served as the Secretary to the Government of Rivers State and the Head of Service of the State. Banigo is a medical doctor by profession.
Personal Life
Born on 20th December 1952, to the Harry family of Obuama, Degema, Rivers State.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| University of London,London, United Kingdom | Diploma in Tropical Hygiene;
Diploma in Dermatology |
1990-1992 |
| Harvard University School of Public Health, Massachusetts, USA | Masters Degree | |
| University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery | |
| Queens College, Yaba, Lagos State | Higher School Certificate | |
| Queens College, Yaba, Lagos State | West African Senior Secondary Certificate (Division One) |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State | Member, Governing Board | |
| University of Calabar, Cross Rivers State | Member, Governing Council | |
| National Primary Health Care Development Agency | Executive Director; Secretary | |
| Shell Petroleum Development Company | Public Health Adviser | |
| Rivers State Ministry of Health | Director of Public Health Services;
Acting Commissioner; Director-General; Permanent Secretary. |
|
| Rivers State School of Health Technology, Rivers State | Principal | 1985 |
| University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State | Honorary consultant dermatologist | |
| Rivers State Port Health Service, Rivers State | Registrar of Births and Senior Medical Officer-in-charge |
Degema, Rivers State.
20th December 1952
Rivers State
People’s Democratic Party
Christianity
Head of Service of Rivers State (1998)
Secretary to the Government of Rivers State (1995-1999)
Deputy Governor, Rivers State (since 2015)
thenewriversstate2015@gmail.com
Political History
In October 1995, Banigo was appointed the Secretary to the Government of Rivers State, a position she held until July 1999. During this time, in May 1998, she also served as the Head of Service of Rivers State, for five months.
Banigo was selected by Governor Wike in 2014, to be his running mate in the 2015 gubernatorial elections. The duo was successful on the platform of PDP, and she was sworn in as the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in May 2015. She was re-elected into office in 2019.
She will be retiring from her current position as the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in the upcoming 2023 election.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
- 2017 Distinguished Service Star of Rivers State
- 1968 British Broadcasting Corporation Award for Students Poetry
Project
- Instrumental to the Lagos Water Corporation project, a World Bank-financed water project valued at about $5.8m
- Set up the Behavioural Health Institute (BHI) for the study and management of behavioural health issues, especially among the youths in Nigeria.
