Teacher | Businesswoman | Anglican

Dame Mariam Bubaraye Indiamaowei hailed from the Sagbagria community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. She was a successful businesswoman in Port Harcourt and also an outstanding school teacher who made a lasting impact on the education sector in both old Rivers State and Bayelsa State.

Mariam Bubaraye Indiamaowei was a resilient and dogged personality from the Niger Delta who left enduring footprints on the sands of time. Above all, she was a proud Anglican.

Synopsis

Mariam Bubaraye Indiamaowei was a living example of doggedness and tenacity. Born into a relatively poor family, she was not deterred. She overcame the many challenges that came her way. Against all odds, she earned a degree in Educational Psychology and taught in several schools in old Rivers State and Bayelsa State.

She was also an astute entrepreneur with sharp business acumen who impacted the business community of Port Harcourt from the 1980s.
Above all, Dame Mariam remained committed to the Anglican faith until her passing in 2019. She was 69 years old.

Birth and Parents

Mariam Bubaraye Indiamaowei (née Ugo) was born on April 24, 1950 to Samuel Ugo Aguari of the Egbedani Compound, Sagbagria town, and Enidougha Isari of the Burudani Compound, Okoloba town, all in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, Bayelsa State.
She was the third daughter and the sixth of her father’s eight children.

Education

At a tender age, she was sent by her father to live with her elder brother, the late Francis Robertson Samuel Ugo. Under his care and sponsorship, she attended St. Peter’s Primary School, Sagbagria in the early 1960s for her primary education.

Even in primary school, Mariam developed a keen interest in sports, particularly track and field. She won several medals for her house, Bishop Ajayi Crowther House, at various inter-house competitions.

Due to financial constraints, her First School Leaving Certificate examination was delayed. At age 16, she got married to the late Engr. Paul William Indiamaowei and relocated with him to Port Harcourt. Their union was blessed with eight children.

Adult Education

Years later, after having children, her passion for education was rekindled.
With her husband’s support, in 1974 she enrolled in Literacy Class 6 at the M.C. Adult Education Centre, Diobu, Port Harcourt — an evening school that allowed her to attend classes after her children returned from school.

After one year, she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate in 1975 with good grades.
She then proceeded to the Government Teachers’ Training College, Okodia-Zarama, where she trained and qualified as a Certified Grade 2 Teacher from 1975 to 1980. Her certificate was officially presented to her in 1985.
She began her teaching career in 1980 and was posted to Township School 1, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, where she taught for several years.

College of Education

Driven by her love for education, she gained admission to Ondo State College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti in 1991 and graduated with an NCE (Primary) in 1993. This qualification aided her career progression.

She did not stop there. She later gained admission into the Rivers State College of Education, where she obtained a Bachelor of Education degree in Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counseling in 2000.

Career Life

Dame Mariam had a distinguished career as a teacher. She taught in several primary schools in both Port Harcourt and Yenagoa.
Due to health challenges, she applied for a transfer of service and was redeployed to the Yenagoa Local Government Education Authority in 2007, where she served until her retirement in 2015.

Business Ventures

Dame Mariam was loved and admired by all who knew her. She embodied the virtues of a Proverbs 31 woman — cheerful, kind, lively, and deeply concerned about family and friends both at home and abroad. She was also a wonderful helpmate to her husband, the late Paul William Indiamaowei.

Apart from her civil service career, she was industrious and entrepreneurial. In the late 1980s, she registered OlaEbi Enterprises with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Under this name, she rented a store at Mile One Market, Port Harcourt, where she sold ripe and unripe plantains for many years to support her family. Even after she stopped trading, she leased out the store as a source of income.
In the late 1970s to late 1980s, she also bought and sold wrappers from Onitsha to working-class women in Port Harcourt.

She further served as a distributor for Port Harcourt Flour Mills, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola. At one point, she worked as a government contractor, painting government apartment buildings in Port Harcourt.

She also acquired sewing skills and made clothes for her husband, children, and herself. Through her hard work, she built houses which she put up for rent.

Faith and Family

Dame Mariam was a devout Christian of the Anglican Communion. She depended strongly on her faith and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and personal Savior. She was also instrumental in her husband’s conversion from Catholicism to Anglicanism.

From St. Cyprian’s Church, Port Harcourt to St. Paul’s Anglican Izon Church, Amarata, Yenagoa, she was active in church groups and played key roles in advancing the work of God in her parish and beyond.

Honors

In 2008 she was made a Lay Reader — officially licensed to officiate in church services and preach in the Anglican faith.
On June 5, 2011, she was invested as a Knight of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the then Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Izon, the late Rt. Rev. Anga Fred Nyanabo.

Hobbies and Death

Her hobbies included cooking, reading, brisk walks, and traveling. After retirement, she devoted most of her time to her children and grandchildren.

Dame Mariam Bubaraye Indiamaowei passed on May 7, 2019 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.