Maryam Babangida

Maryam Babangida was the wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was Nigeria's head of state from 1985 to 1993. She was credited with creating the position of First Lady of Nigeria and making it her own. As first lady, she launched many programmes to improve the life of women. The "Maryam Phenomenon" became a celebrity and "an icon of beauty, fashion and style", a position she retained after her husband's fall from power. She was born on November 1, 1948 in Asaba, where she attended her primary education. Her parents were from different ethnic groups: her mother was a Hausa from Niger State and her father was an Igbo from Asaba. She later moved north to Kaduna where she attended Queen Amina's College Kaduna for her Secondary education. She graduated as a secretary at the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna. Later she obtained a diploma in secretaryship from La Salle Extension University (Chicago, Illinois) and a Certificate in Computer Science from the NCR Institute in Lagos. On September 6, 1969, shortly before her 21st birthday, she married Major Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. They had four children, two boys and two girls. After her husband became Chief of Army Staff in 1983, Maryam Babangida became President of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA). She was active in this role, launching schools, clinics, women's training centres and child day care centers. Her hobbies were gardening, interior decoration, music, squash, badminton, collecting birds, philanthropic activities and reading. When her husband became head of state in 1985, Maryam Babangida moved with her children into Dodan Barracks in Lagos. She had to arrange for considerable renovations to make the rooms more suitable for formal receptions. Dodan barracks was one of the key locations seized in the April 1990 coup attempt by Gideon Orkar against Ibrahim Babangida, who was present in the barracks when the attack occurred, but managed to escape via a back route. As First Lady of Nigeria between 1985 and 1993, she turned the ceremonial post into a champion for women's rural development. She forced the Nigerian state to address two of the factors breeding poverty among rural women - lack of capital and land. State governments were suddenly forced to open the space for millions of rural women to acquire land in their own right and to exclusively benefit from the fruits of their labour. She also initiated the Better Life for Rural Women Programme, which sought to empower rural women with skills, education, health care and income-generating activities. She travelled across the country and abroad to promote the cause of women and to mobilize support for her programmes. She became a role model and a source of inspiration for many Nigerian women. She also established the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in Abuja, which serves as a research and training institute for women issues. She was involved in various national and international organizations, such as the African First Ladies Peace Mission, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Nigerian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the International Women's Society and the Nigerian Girl Guides Association. She received several awards and honours for her contributions to women development and social welfare, such as the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Prize for Leadership, the Zik Leadership Award and the Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Benin. She also wrote a book titled Women, the New Era: A Selection of Speeches, which was published in 1991. Maryam Babangida died on December 27, 2009 at the age of 61 in Los Angeles, California, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was buried in her husband's hometown of Minna, Niger State, where a mausoleum was built in her honour. She is remembered as a pioneer of women empowerment and a symbol of elegance and grace.