Maryam Babangida: The First Lady Who Turned Ceremony into Social Change

 By Victor Olubiye

In a nation where the role of First Lady was once confined to photo opportunities and protocol, Maryam Ndidi Babangida broke the mold—and reshaped it into a powerful platform for rural women across Nigeria. From 1985 to 1993, she transformed her position into a purposeful mission, championing female empowerment through one of the most ambitious social programs Nigeria had ever seen: the Better Life Programme for Rural Women.

Born in 1948 in Asaba—now the capital of Delta State—Maryam's life was a rich blend of cultures. Her father, Leonard Nwanonye Okogwu, was Igbo; her mother, Hajiya Asabe Halima Mohammed, was Hausa from Niger State. This fusion of northern and southern heritage perhaps helped shape her unique national outlook, one that would later reflect in the pan-Nigerian character of her empowerment initiatives.

She began her education in Asaba, but her path led her northward to Queen Amina College in Kaduna. After training as a secretary at the Federal Training Centre and obtaining a diploma from La Salle Extension University in Chicago, she also earned a certificate in computer science from the NCR Institute in Lagos—an uncommon achievement for women at the time.

Maryam married Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in 1969, just before her 21st birthday. The young military wife would go on to become one of the most visible and impactful First Ladies in Nigerian history. Long before she occupied the nation’s most watched matriarchal seat, she had already started showing her passion for development through the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), where she spearheaded initiatives in education, healthcare, and childcare for military families.

But it was in 1987, two years after her husband became Nigeria’s military president, that Maryam unveiled what would become her legacy: the Better Life Programme for Rural Women. Often described subversively as "Rural Life for Better Women", the program addressed the country’s wide rural-urban divide, especially in terms of gender access to economic and social opportunities.

Under her leadership, thousands of co-operatives, cottage industries, day-care centres, markets, and farms were launched. She didn’t just speak about empowerment—she created physical spaces where women could gather, learn, and build sustainable livelihoods. Her work laid the foundation for the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women's Development, opened in 1993, to continue her mission of training and mobilizing women long after her tenure.

While her influence was not without criticism, particularly from feminist scholars who debated the program’s scope and class dynamics, even detractors acknowledge that Maryam Babangida redefined the potential of female leadership in public life.

Her death in 2009 from ovarian cancer, in a hospital in Los Angeles, marked the end of a remarkable era. Yet her name lives on. In 2020, former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal honoured her memory by commissioning the Maryam Babangida Way in Asaba—her hometown, and the starting point of a journey that would touch millions.

In a time when First Ladies are often criticized for photo-ops and unchecked spending, Maryam Babangida’s legacy stands as a stark contrast—a reminder that soft power, when purposefully wielded, can build schools, change lives, and shape history.