Women Affairs Minister, Tallen, Honours Maryam Babangida with Posthumous Award

For her enviable contributions to the development of the African rural women, the late matriarch of the General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) family and founder of Better Life Programme for African Rural Women, Dr. Maryam Babangida, has been presented with a posthumous award by the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, at the weekend in Abuja.

The posthumous award, which was given to her during the events to commemorate the 2022 United Nations International Day of Rural Women, was received by her daughter, Hajia Aisha Babangida, the chairperson of Better Life Programme for African Rural Women.

The minister said the award became necessary because of late Maryam’s role as a critical stakeholder in the promotion and advancement of rural women’s rights.

According to her, “It gives me great joy to assemble all of you here today for the commemoration of the 2022 international day of the rural women with the theme: ‘Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All’.

“Oftentimes, rural women are on the frontlines of many challenges of the global agenda- poverty, illiteracy, diseases, maternal and child birth issues-all confronting the rural women. If we protect their interest and cultivate their talents, we can enable them make meaningful contributions to our world. “And that’s why we must remember late Maryam Babangida for organising programmes that really touched the lives of rural women.

“I remember during the first national trade fair in 1988, she directed that all of us-contact persons in the local government areas-must come with 10 typical rural women who have never visited the city. So, how can we forget such a woman? If I am to keep narrating what transpired during the better life programme for rural women, we will not leave here today, and that’s why I said we must honour her with a posthumous award today because she lives on. It will be foolish and unrealistic for us to celebrate this day without acknowledging her.

“All of us here today are rural women-we all came from the village. I’m a rural woman. I happen to be a councilor by the grace of our late mother in 1986. If I am to give my success story, the background and the foundation, I will give honour to our late mother. I’m one of those she groomed and mentored from councilorship, and today I am a minister. Why should we not remember this great woman?

“We appreciate her presence because, when I reflected to all what our great mother did, we cannot celebrate this year’s international rural women without appreciating her efforts. I believe she’s at the corner in this room, watching us, praying for us and smiling.”

While receiving the award on behalf of her mother, Aisha Babangida,, said her late mother fought to bring solace to the African women and ensured that their voices are heard.

She said her organisation had direct impact on the lives of the African women who are not just vulnerable but greatly marginalised. Babangida said she strived to reduce child mortality, ensured food security, and improved maternal health and integrate rural women into national development.

Continuing, she said her late mother had two important things that was very dear to her and that’s women and rural development.

In reminiscence, she said: “On September 14, 1987, my dear mother had a workshop for the first time together with policymakers, planners and executors of rural development programmes. The purpose of the meeting was to generate important ideas and inputs, creating a well-articulated rural development strategy.

“So, it was concluded in the meeting to uplift the standard of living and development of our rural sisters and their community.”

“On our own, through our Multi-Crop Initiative, we have built the capacity of over 10,000 rural women to grow agricultural crops that are not just scalable, marketable but exportable. This project helped to foster a sustainable, scalable market system that increased rural prosperity and food security in Nigeria through market-driven approaches. Our ongoing cassava project in Gaku community in the FCT in partnership with SEEDs Services Limited further shows our commitment towards food security and economic prosperity.”