Ireti Heebah Kingibe, a civil engineer and now veteran politician by persistence, represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate.
She has stood for public service through multiple political parties, finally winning in 2023 under the Labour Party after years of contesting.
Who Is Ireti Heebah Kingibe?
Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe is a Nigerian civil engineer turned politician. She currently represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate under the Labour Party. She is known for her long years of contesting elective positions, her advocacy on education and infrastructure, and for being the second woman ever elected as Senator for FCT.
Profile Summary
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Full Name: Ireti Heebah Kingibe
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Date of Birth / Age: 2 June 1954 (71 in 2024)
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State of Origin / Heritage: Father from Fulani/Yoruba roots, Mother from Asaba/Bonny region
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Religion: Islam
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Marital Status: Divorced (Was married to Baba Gana Kingibe)
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Political Party: Labour Party (joined 2022)
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Current Position: Senator for FCT since 13 June 2023
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Years Active in Politics: From around 1990 to present
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Net Worth (Estimated): Not publicly verified; media estimates vary widely. Treat such figures cautiously.
Early Life and Education
Ireti Heebah Kingibe was born on 2 June 1954. She grew up in a multi-ethnic household. Her father, Abdulkadri Lanval, had Yoruba & Fulani heritage; her mother came from an Asaba/Bonny lineage.
Her early education started at Emotan Preparatory School. She attended Queen’s College, Lagos, around 1966–67, then Washington Irving High School (USA) from about 1970 to 1973. She later studied Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota (circa 1975-1980), graduating in 1980.
Career Before Politics
Kingibe began her professional journey as a Quality Control Engineer at Bradley Precast Concrete Inc. (USA) from 1978 to 1979. She then worked at the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Design Unit from 1979-1991.
Her mandatory service (NYSC) was done between 1981-1982 at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, where she was a project supervisor.
Back in Nigeria, she worked as a Planning Engineer with New Nigeria Construction Company in Kaduna (1982-1985), as a consultant at Belsam Limited, and later as Regional Engineer for Lodigiani Nigeria Ltd in Lagos (1990-1994). She is currently a Senior Partner at Kelnic Associates, Abuja.
Political Career
Entry into Politics
Her political life began around 1990 when she joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and served as an adviser to the party’s national chairman. Her first run for elective office was for the FCT senatorial seat in 2003 under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Major Political Roles
Over the years, she has changed party affiliations: from SDP to ANPP, then PDP, later APC, and in 2022 she joined the Labour Party. She contested several times (but lost) until 2023, when she won the FCT senatorial seat under the Labour Party, defeating multiple-term holder Philip Aduda.
On the 8th of August, 2023, she was appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs in Nigeria’s 10th Senate.
Achievements and Impact
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In her 2023 campaign, she pledged her basic senatorial salary (if elected) to a special fund for infrastructure deficits in rural communities of the FCT.
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Since taking office, she has initiated community development projects in the FCT: road constructions, solar street lights, rehabilitation of boreholes, transformer installations, support for health centres, and other improvements in infrastructure and amenities across area councils.
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Her election itself is historic: she is only the second woman ever elected Senator to represent the FCT. Her victory unseated an incumbent and showed the Labour Party’s growing influence in Abuja.
Personal Life
She was married to Baba Gana Kingibe. Details about her children are not publicly disclosed.
She is the younger sister of Ajoke Muhammad, the widow of former Head of State Murtala Muhammad. This family tie is part of her public profile.
Net Worth and Assets
There is no publicly verified declaration of her net worth. Speculative figures in the media vary, but none are confirmed. Her known business interest is her partnership in Kelnic Associates, Abuja.
Legacy
Ireti Heebah Kingibe’s journey demonstrates persistence, competence and breaking barriers. After decades of engaging in politics and facing losses, she finally won her Senate seat in 2023 under a less dominant party in the FCT.
Her engineering background, advocacy for infrastructure and community welfare, and her role as one of the few women in the Senate make her a figure to watch.
Her legacy may well be built on how effectively she delivers on her campaign promises and how she shapes governance and representation in Abuja.
