Nigeria

IWD 2020: Past and present great Nigerian women with great achievements

Monday, March 09, 2020 at 9:23 PM by Joseph Omotayo

- Many women have been profiled to mark this year's International Women's Day

- Among them are people who have fought for women's rights, Nigeria's welfare and democracy

- Chief Magaret Ekpo, Okonjo Iweala, Aisha Buhari, Abike Dabiri are some of those with important marks in the country's history

In celebration of the International Women Day (IWD) held on Sunday, March 8, Legit.ng has profiled women that have been a great help to the nation.

Below are seven women whose inputs are quite significant in the country’s history:

1. Chief Margaret Ekpo

She was instrumental in the advocacy of women’s rights in the first republic and a leading voice that fought for democracy.

Margaret Ekpo was also very effective at the grassroots level, especially in Aba. Interestingly, she achieved all this despite the male-dominated atmosphere of that time.

2. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

An economist, entrepreneur and the first female finance minister and foreign affairs minister in Nigeria. Added to that, she was the first woman to vie for World Bank Group in 2012.

3. Hamda Ambah

A graduate of the University of Lagos, she has contributed greatly to the finance world as the managing director/chief executive of the FSDH Merchant Bank.

She is also a member of the Nigerian Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and also got the 1999 IBTC award for the best examination candidate in finance.

A collage showing some of the women who are important in Nigeria's history.
Source: UGC

4. Abike Dabiri-Erewa

The chairman of Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike-Dabiri is a media veteran who made a huge mark in television broadcasting in Nigeria.

5. Stella Okoli

An enterprenuer, pharmacist and a philanthropist, she is the managing director of Emzor Pharmac*eutical Industries Limited.

Stella cut her medical teeth as a ward/clinical pharmacist at Middlesex Hospital in London.

6. Aisha Buhari

The first lady holds a degree in public administration from Ambrose Alli University (AAU) and a MA in international affairs and strategic studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna.

7. Folashade Omolara Yemi-Esan

She was the best dental surgery student in 1987 from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Later on, she got her certificate in Health Planning and Management and masters in public and international administration.

Folashade is the current head of the civil service of the federation. She started her career at the federal ministry of health.

PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Kolawole Ajeyemi joined the world to celebrate women.

The Nollywood actor took to his Instagram page to share a photo of the four women in his life; his mother, Toyin Abraham, her mother and his sister.

Sharing the photo, he wrote: "Women are diamonds..... happy international women’s day from these women with strong hearts and able minds @temitopeajeyemi you are still a baby O ‍♂️ . #wgatap #sonofmercy."