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 Tra...