Read About Nigeria's First Surviving Siamese Twin: Wariboko

Wariboko Oki: Picture from Vanguard

She is a woman many of us do not know, though we had read about Ben Carson M.D separating the German craniopagus twins in John Hopkins USA, and the first to be recorded a success, our focus today isn't Washington but Nigeria, we stumbled on this woman, and she happened to be Nigeria's first and oldest surviving separated twins, her name is Wariboko Oki, she was born about 62 years ago and she was recently interviewed by a Vanguard Newspaper reporter  Fred Iwenjora and we captured some things you may want to know about her.

When she was born July 25, 1953, former Miss Wariboko Davis made great news because she was conjoined with her sister. Newspapers in Nigeria and worldwide celebrated her birth just like they celebrated her survival after the surgery to separate them.

When she was asked when she begin to know how peculiar she is, she had these to say,

“I started to know that I am peculiar from primary school. I think I was in primary one when I started noticing this peculiarity. I was six years old when people won’t let me be. They always tell me to lift my dress so they could see the scar on my chest and tummy. At a time, when the disturbance became almost unbearable, I started asking them to pay before I would do that”

Daddy and mummy Mr and Mrs Jituboh were very careful about my diet and about whatever they gave to me. Daddy would not want anyone to touch me anyhow”.

Born to Mrs Veronica Davis who was then a staff at UAC, Wariboko said she got to know through pictures she saw that herself and her twin sister were separated when they were at about six months old and the sister couldn’t make it, she alone survived it. Her mother had another twins after her but died, and another baby after who died together with her mother at birth.

“You see…my life is a big testimony of God’s awesome character. He kept me alive for a big purpose of continuous testimony and I know this very well”. Wariboko

She made known when asked about her biological father,

“He also died. I did not really know him. He was of Ijaw tribe. The people I have come to know are Mr. and Mrs. Jituboh and the only sister I know is Mrs. Briggite Alli”.

She attended Queen Amina in Kaduna which used to be Our Lady of Apostles school before she went to Our Lady’s High school before transferring to St Maria Gorretti, in Benin.
She was also given scholarship by UAC after the death of her biological mother who was a staff of UAC until the time of her demise.

She studied nursing and became a nurse, married to Lt. Walter Oki.

“I have been taken care of by nurses and other hospital people so I wished to also do same for others” Wariboko.

You are close to the Sobowale twins who also share your kind of circumstance.

“Yes o. Any time I hear of conjoined twins, I feel like they are just like me and would always want to meet them. While at the school of nursing at LUTH, there was a preserved Siamese twins which I did not wish to see because they were already dead. I want to see the ones alive. When I went to ABU, Zaria, a Doctor had told me of another set but they had already died. He had said that if I had come earlier that I would have met them alive. So the Sobowales are the first I would see alive. So as soon as news of their birth was spread, I went to locate them. Since then, I have always been in touch with them until I relocated to the US in the past two years after my retirement from service. I had bought them a Bible each telling them how it is Basic Instruction Before Leaving The Earth (BIBLE). I told them to always read it if only to thank God always for being alive.

I celebrated 62 on July 25, 2015 but indeed every day is celebration for me. I feel God’s faithfulness each and every morning when it is renewed”

with sister Bridget

Source: Vanguard

Why did you relocate to the US?

“Nigeria is not a place where people with my kind of circumstances are appreciated medically like other parts of the world where your peculiar circumstance is a serious issue and are noted and medically attended to. There are health related problems for Siamese twins and in the UK and US they all know and keep checking on you to keep you alive.”

Kindly share your views and comments below.

Reference:

This interview was an excerpt from Fred Iwenjora’s interview with her published on Vanguard dated December 12, 2015.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/wariboko-oki-62-nigerias-celebrated-siamese-twin-tells-her-life-story/#top