As often said, beside every successful man, there is a woman. It has
just come to the fore that every successful politician has a woman of
great influence who plays along with him. If it was the man’s spouse, it
is considered better because courage and support are brood right from
home. This is more so, considering the fact that no woman will watch her
husband record a public and documented failure during his stay in
office.
Below are details of the women behind Nigeria's current powerful politicians...
DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN:As
it stands now the biggest influence on the Nigerian political landscape
is undoubtedly President Goodluck Jonathan. President Jonathan’s
ascending political profile since the advent of this democratic
dispensation is a feat that is rarely achieved. Yet one cannot glorify
him and underestimate the role played by his spouse, Dame Patience
Jonathan. It is believed that Patience wields much influence on
Jonathan’s political decisions. For instance, it was
Rumoured
recently in some quarters and carried by some media that Lady Jonathan,
who is known to be a strong advocate of women rights and growth, might
have influenced the expulsion of the Rivers State governor, Rotimi
Chibuike Ameachi, by the State chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) as there has been a face-off between her and the Governor
who are both indigenes of the State. Dame Patience pursues the course
for the empowerment and respect for the rights of women with
unprecedented zeal. She was known for this course even right from when
her husband was Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.
Patience, who
has a BSc. in Biology and Psychology from the University of Port
Harcourt, was born in 1957 into a respectable Christian family of
Lazarus Iwari-Oba in Port-Harcourt.
AMINA SAMBO (OFR):Mrs
Amina Sambo (OFR) is the wife of Vice President Namadi Sambo, and
therefore Nigeria’s Second Lady. She was Kaduna State’s First Lady
between 2007 and 2010 when her husband was governor of the State. As a
background influence to her husband, she must have been a good companion
and adviser, contributing to the political ingenuity that has seen him
to the topmost echelon of Nigerian politics today.
Mrs Amina
Sambo was born in Riyom, Barikin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau
State, Nigeria. She had her primary education at Girls Boarding School,
Gindiri, Plateau State, after which she enrolled for a Nursing course
before she had her secondary education. She is currently the Executive
Director of the Grassroots Health Organisation of Nigeria (GHON).
She
coordinated a national programme on the prevention of Vesico Vaginal
Fistula (VVF) towards safe motherhood in Nigeria, and was a consultant
on delivery at the Centre for Development and Population Activities
(CEDPA) projects in northern Nigeria. In view of her outstanding
achievements and contributions to national growth, she was conferred
with the award of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) by President
Jonathan.
HELEN DAVID MARK:The Senate President, David
Alechenu Bonaventure Mark is married to four wives. They are Omale,
Kate, Helen and Randa. Mark, who represents Benue South federal
constituency, is a former military governor of Niger State. He was first
elected into the Senate in 1999 and has clinched the position till
date. He is indeed, one of the influential political figures in Benue
State, if not the most powerful and sophisticated politician in the
state.
Senator Mark enjoys a lot of support from all his wives,
one of whom is Helen, who often identifies with him in his political
struggles and is often seen with him in official outings.
SENATOR (MRS) DAISY DANJUMA:She
is the wife of Theophilus Yusuf Danjuma, a retired General who, by
virtue of his philanthropic gestures has received various awards and
titles across the country; a man who is now seen by many as a political
benefactor and advisor to the political elites, especially those of
northern extraction. Senator (Mrs) Daisy, a former senator from Plateau
State, is a graduate of Law from Ahmadu Bello University.
In
2003, she was elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where
she has served on various committees, most notably, as Chairman of the
ECOWAS Parliament’s Women and Children Committee and Chairman, Senate
Committee on Women Affairs and Youth Development.
HAJIYA INNA MARYAM CIROMA:Former
minister of Women Affairs and current Acting Managing Director,
National Inland Waterways Authority, Hajiya Inna Maryam Ciroma, is the
wife of former minister of finance, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma. Hajiya Inna was
born on September 11, 1954 in Biu, Borno State. She attended Ahmadu
Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where she graduated in 1978 with a degree
in Political Science. She later obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in
Public Administration, perhaps, in her desire to sharpen and equip
herself for the task of public service and administration.
Having
had several careers cutting across federal civil service, private
entrepreneurship and investment, there is no doubt that she is very
exposed. Her husband, Adamu Ciroma, is also a former governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He was the chairman of the Obasanjo 2003
re-election Campaign Organisation. This shows how the Ciromas are
considered politically weighty and relevant by Obasanjo who was, then,
very desperate for his re-election bid. Of course, he needed no less
political personalities than the Ciromas whose role in capturing the
north was considered un-negotiable.
There is no doubt that Adamu
Ciroma is an old pillar in Nigerian politics. In 1979, he was a
presidential aspirant on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria
(NPN). However, he did not scale through in the party primaries. He also
served as NPN secretary. Ciroma was,
at other times, minister of
Industries and Agriculture. Behind this unwavering politician who was a
respected senior cabinet member during the Shagari administration,
Hajiya Inna is the woman that provides all sorts of encouragement and
support.
HAJIA HAUWA DANBABA SUNTAI:The rave of the
moment, Hajia Hauwa Danbaba Suntai is the wife of Governor Danbaba
Suntai of Taraba State. Hauwa, a Shuwa Arab from Borno State, is the
reliable storehouse of the Taraba governor who was
involved in an
air crash in October last year in Yola, Adamawa State, when he was
reported to be flying himself in a private jet. Hauwa has been standing
by her husband throughout his ordeal, practically demonstrating that
what he needed mostly to recover is, perhaps, the affection and
emotional therapy of a dear one. During this same time, Hauwa gave birth
to twins in USA where her husband was receiving treatment after he was
transferred from a German hospital where he was initially admitted.
Just
last weekend, her husband was flown into the country from John Hopkins
Hospital, USA. Following this, many are still in doubt if the governor
is physically fit to function in his capacity as the governor of the
state. It therefore, looks similar to the Umaru Musa Yar’adua sickness
saga when Turai was practically doing everything possible to rule the
country by proxy, thereby, safe-guarding her husband’s position.
Similarly,
Hauwa Suntai is being rumoured to be playing the same role to ensure
that her husband’s seat is retained. Despite that the Taraba State
acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, is officially carrying out the
constitutional duties conferred on him in the governor’s absence,
Hauwa’s influence in the Taraba government house cannot be denied.
DAME JUDITH AMAECHI:Dame
Judith Amaechi is the wife of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of
Rivers State. She is the founder, Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI), a
non-governmental organisation concerned with campaigns against
HIV/AIDS, protecting the rights of women and children and promotion of
gender equality as well as girl-child education.
Dame Judith was
born on December 24, 1970. She attended Federal Government College,
Abuloma in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She later attended Rivers State
University of Science and Technology, where she graduated in Urban and
Regional Planning. Her husband has suffered high degrees of political
crisis in recent times ranging from the imbroglio involving his official
aircraft and officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
in Akure, Ondo State, an attempt to unseat him as the chairman of the
Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) which pitched him against President
Goodluck Jonathan and Governor David Jonah Jang of Plateau State, to the
recent violence that took over his state assembly in what was
unexpected of civilised lawmakers of this century.
Not forgotten
is the rift between Amaechi and the commissioner of police in Rivers, Mr
Mbu J. Mbu which was interpreted by many as a stage-managed and
tele-guided scenario. It is interesting to note that while the
wranglings lasted, Dame Judith, like the proverbial rock of Gibraltar,
stood closely by her husband with a rare philosophical calmness and in a
manner that seems to assure him: “don’t worry; the coast will soon be
clear and safe”.
HAJIYA JUMMAI BABANGIDA ALIYU:Hajiya
Jummai Babangida Aliyu is the wife of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu,
the Chief Servant of Niger State, as often referred to. Her husband is
one of the most powerful politicians in the country. Aliyu was elected
governor of Niger State in April 2007 on the platform of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP). He was re-elected for a second term on April 26,
2011. Therefore, by 2015, he would have governed the state for eight
years.
Also, Governor Aliyu is the incumbent chairman, Northern
States Governors’ Forum, a formidable political forum to reckon with. At
the pick of the crisis that rocked the NGF, Aliyu, not minding whose ox
is being gored, stood his ground and maintained that the embattled
governor Chibuike Amaechi should be recognized as the elected chairman
of the forum, going by votes cast.
Hajiya Jummai, popularly known
as Madam Chief Servant of Niger State, following the nomenclature
carved by her husband, is the fountain of courage behind Governor Aliyu.
Some of the initiatives she introduced in the state are Women
Empowerment, Reforming Prisoners, minimizing and addressing the issue of
sexual abuse and ensuring that every Niger child is computer literate.
HAJIYA NANA KASHIM SHETTIMA:Hajiya
Nana Kashim Shettima is the wife of Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim
Shettima. Recently, Nana took a bold and exemplary step by empowering
no less than 500 women in the state with soft loans to enable them start
petty trading activities. Using Support for Widows, Orphans and
Tsangaya (SWOT) Foundation, a pet project founded by her, she was able
to bring succour to the less privileged women , most of whom were
victims of the serial insurgent attacks and destructions unleashed on
the state by the Boko Haram sect.
Recently, during the Ramadan, she distributed cash and food items to 400 Muslim widows and orphans in Borno.
Her
husband, Governor Shettima, would have been thrown into a state of
political convulsion following the eruption of violent attacks in his
state if he were not a man of strong will, added to the support of a
wife like Nana. It can be rightly said that since Shettima came to
office, he had not had opportunity to peacefully drink water and drop
the proverbial cup, having inherited a state that has, overnight, become
a training camp and breeding ground for the insurgent group.
However, in good and bad times, Governor Shettima is sure of one thing – the moral support and encouragement of his wife, Nana.
AISHA BUHARI:Hajiya
Aisha Buhari is the articulate wife of General Muhammadu Buhari. She
was born in Adamawa State to the family of Nigeria’s first minister of
defence, Muhammadu Ribadu. She is also a granddaughter of the first
Chiroma of Adamawa. Hajiya Aisha attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU),
Zaria, where she bagged a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration.
She also attended Carlton Institute of London and the Academy Esthetique
Beauty Institute of France, Dubai, where she obtained a Postgraduate
Diploma in Cosmetology and Beauty Therapy.
She is also a graduate of International Affairs and Strategic Planning.
Over
the years, as General Buhari continued to pursue his presidential
aspiration, she has always done everything within her reach to support
him and ensure that he wins election. She once assured Nigerian women
during a fund raising dinner for female candidates of the defunct
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that if her husband won the
presidential election, that women will be given the priority they
deserved which would focus on their health, education, and being given
opportunity to contribute to the growth of Nigeria. What else can a
woman do to further fortify the political fortress of her husband more
than what Aisha has done?
JUSTICE (MRS) FATI ABUBAKAR:Justice
(Mrs) Fati Lami Abubakar shares in the fame of her husband, General
Abdussalami Abubakar (Rtd) who ended the long military rule in Nigeria
by voluntarily handing over power to a democratically elected civilian
president. It is one historic gesture that makes these Abubakars unique
in Nigeria’s political history. With the growing popularity of the
position of First Lady, one would have thought that Lady Abubakar would
advise for a stay-on.
However, Justice (Mrs) Abubakar is a
success story on her own. She is the first female lawyer,
Solicitor-General and Attorney-General of Niger State respectively. She
is currently a Judge of the High Court of Niger State.
A second
child of the late Waziri of Minna, Alhaji Umaru Audu and Hajiya Nana
Asma’u, Justice Abubakar was born in Minna, Niger State. From college,
she gained admission to study law at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU),
Ile-Ife, graduating with an LLB in 1975.
JUSTICE (MRS) MARY ODILI: The
mention of Nigeria’s strong politicians can never be complete without
the mention of Peter Odili, the immediate past governor of Rivers State,
who is said to have nurtured the incumbent governor, Rotimi Ameachi.
Justice Mary Odili is the woman that has been behind Odili as his wife.
Mary is currently a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Justice
Mary Odili was born on May 12, 1952 at Amudi Obizi Ezinihitte, Mbaise
Local Government Area of Imo State. She attended University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, Enugu Campus (UNEC), where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in
Law (LL.B Hons) in 1976. She had held several judicial positions at one
time or the other in Rivers State, Abuja, Kaduna and so on. This legal
giant was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on June
23, 2013.
AMBASSADOR BIANCA OJUKWU:Ambassador Bianca
Ojukwu is the wife of Biafran warlord and vibrant politician, late Chief
Odumegwu Ojukwu. Before his death, Ojukwu was a national leader of All
Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), on which platform he had contested
for presidency but did not win.
Controversies seem to trail this
ethereal beauty, lawyer and business woman and the Most Beautiful Girl
in Nigeria Pageant winner in 1988, Miss Africa and the first black woman
to win Miss Intercontinental, Bianca Ojukwu.
Bianca Odinaka
Olivia Ojukwu is the daughter of the legal luminary and former governor
of the old Anambra State, late Chief Christian Chukwuma Onoh, of Ngwo,
Enugu State. She met the late Ojukwu when she was 22.
MORENIKE FLORENCE SARAKI:Morenike
Florence Saraki is the wife of late Dr. Olusola Saraki, former governor
of Kwara State and a politician that wielded enormous power and control
in Kwara State. She is the mother of Senator Gbemisola Saraki and
stepmother of the former governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki.
Florence
has been around her husband during his political struggles. The exit of
Saraki who has been a stabilizing and rallying factor in the house
might pave the way for Florence, the only wife, to be the new force in
the family politics.
MRS. MARGARET PETER OBI:
The was born
Margaret Brownson Usen. She got married to governor Obi in 1992.
Margaret is the brain behind her husband’s National Gender Affirmative
Action which encouraged at least fifty per cent slots to women under
Obi’s administration. Margaret is known for her humility despite her
intelligence which she kept hidden while working intensively and
inconspicuously to garner support for her husband’s administration. She
is also known for her fierce devotion to women empowerment and child
protection activities.
She facilitated the distribution of
equipment grants to women cooperatives that are engaged in dry season
faming. Thus, promoting their access to factors of production and
enhancing their capacity to support their families. She also facilitated
the establishment of Family Courts in the state’s Ministry of Women
Affairs and Social Development (MWAPD) to deal with issues of child
abuse and violation of women’s rights especially widows’ right to
inheritance.
SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU:She is the wife of
former Lagos State governor, Bola Asiwaju Tinubu and the National
Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In 2011, she contested
and won the Lagos Central Senatorial Candidate of the ACN.
Claims
of her husband, the ACN National Leader imposing Oluremi on Lagosians
as a 2015 gubernatorial candidate for the economic capital without
observance of the party’s primary election surfaced in recent months. In
June, 2013, in a public address on Channels Television,
Oluremi
Tinubu dismissed the claim that she has set her sights on governing seat
of Lagos, saying, “My husband did it for eight years … I don’t think I
have the strength to say I want to govern the present state of Lagos.”
