By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Government today renamed the National Center for Women Development after the founder the Late Mrs Maryam Babangida.
The rename of the NCWD to Maryam Babangida was made possible through a Bill signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also, the First Lady and wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu’s portrait was unveiled at the Nigerian Women Hall of Fame while seven other female achievers were inducted in the HoF.
Mrs Tinubu said that the historic event was to celebrate the commitment, diligence and handwork of Mrs. Maryam Babangida who used her position as the then first lady to touch the lives of the less privileged through her pet project, the Better Life for Rural Women and her resources’ in building the NCWD edifice.
Her phenomenal contributions and emancipation of women especially in the area of commerce, remains indelible in our hearts.
The great Icon, Mrs Maryam Babangida defined the scope of women in the national development of the nation.
She noted that Mrs Babangida as a first lady played a complimentary and supportive role to her husband, to execute and ameliorate the sufferings of the masses.
According to Mrs Tinubu, the MBNCWD carries Mrs Babangida’s lecacy as a passionate advocacy for women’s rights and as a constant reminder of what can be achieved when there is an investment in women’s development.
The Son of late Maryam Babangida Aminu Babangida while thanking on behalf of the Babangida family noted that the edifice lives of women for gender equality
and the MBNCWD edifice stands for the commitment to gender equality for women in Nigeria.
Aminu Babangida said, ” the dream of our mother whose commitment in ensuring that every girls-child and every woman had an opportunity and more importantly, every rural woman had a better life.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Development, Mrs .Monilola Udoh said, ” this milestone ceremony to honor the memory of an Amazon and great woman who remodeled and charted a new course for the Nigerian woman, by ensuring their inclusion in National Development,
Dr. (Mrs.) Maryam Babangida.
“On this day, we remember her for all that she did to put Nigerian women on the global map. We celebrate her pioneering efforts to promote the strength embedded in women and their ability to do exploits when they believe in a common cause and bound together, combine efforts towards achieving it.”
As a flagship Data Base, the Nigerian Women hall of Fame serves as a National Repository to document and celebrate the success stories of Nigerian Women, young and old. The goal is to profile the unique and vast productive capacities of women and give greater visibility to their work and achievements, thereby curating a National Development Record for Nigerian Women, Udoh explained.
National President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Comrade Ladi Bala commended the late Mrs Maryam Babangida for the laudable project Better Life for “Rural Women”, and for bringing Nigerian women into the limelight .
She was the first woman to help women have a voice for the first time, adding that it is natural to immortalize Mrs Babangida by renaming the centre after her.
Bala also applauded the centre for inducting others who were part of the struggle with the late first lady.
One of the inductees , Ms Ene Ede, said her induction into the Nigerian Women Hall of Fame is a call to further commitment and mentorship to younger women.
Ede called for a 50-50 for women as a demonstration of the work and contribution of women.
Day break reports that the First lady, Mrs. Remi Tinubu and seven other women were inducted in the Hall of Fame.
