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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has described former first lady, Maryam Babangida, the late matriarch of the Ibrahim Babangida family and founder of Better Life for Rural Women, as a woman who gave hope to Nigerian women.
She made the disclosure at the first-in-the-series of activities in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja, which is the only parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and centre of excellence.
Recall the Senate had in October began a process to rename the National Women Centre after Maryam Babangida, 13 years after her demise.
She died at 61 from ovarian cancer on 27 December 2009 in a Los Angeles, California hospital.
Maryam Babangida initiated the building of the facility in 1992 as initiator of the women-development driven centre but the government changed it to the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) in 1994 during the military regime of late head of state, General Sani Abacha.
Tallen said: “I and Senator Olujimi were recalling our struggle during Better Life for Rural Women and the awareness she brought to us. This centre gave hope and relevance to Nigerian women. Because, coming to Abuja in those days in the 80s before this centre was put in place, so many women couldn’t afford to stay in Hilton or Agura hotel then which was just N100 at that time. She calculated the amount and paid. I for one was staying with my sister whenever I came to Abuja.
“So, we cannot forget Maryam Babangida, she is a name that will remain in our hearts and I want to thank everyone that has supported us. I want us to pray for our late mother and pray for Nigerian women that her legacy will not die. She has lifted us up and so in your small space, do something to lift a fellow woman up.”
The minister also commended Director General for the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Dr. Asabe Vilita Bashir, for putting in so much effort to remodel and transform the centre.
Tallen again assured that the legacy of Maryam Babangida would be kept alive.
