First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu on Tuesday performed the official renaming of the National Women Development Center (NWDC) in Abuja to the Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development.
Speaking on the occasion, the First lady explained that the gesture was in recognition of the sterling contributions of the late former First Lady, Dr (Mrs) Maryam Babangida, to the lives of the ordinary Nigerians, especially at the grassroots, through her then pet programme, Better Life for Rural Dwellers.
Mrs. Tinubu described Maryam Babangida as an icon who redefined the scope of women’s participation in national development through the establishment of the National Center for Women Development (NCWD).
She expressed nostalgia and excitement over the fact that (Tinubu) was a Senator in the Ninth National Assembly when the bill for the renaming of the Center was passed and assented into law and she is now performing the actual renaming as the First Lady of Nigeria.
A press statement issued by the First Lady’s spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, said she commended the Director-General of the Center, Hajia Asabe Bashir and her management staff for taking the bold step in renaming the Center and also all the female National Assembly members, who played leading roles in the legislative struggle for the renaming of the center.
In his remarks at the event, representative of the Babangida family, Mohammed Babangida and his brother, Aminu Babangida, thanked the First Lady for the honor done their late mother.
Mohammed extended the appreciation to all the women who were contributory to the actualization of the renaming of the center.
The portrait of the First Lady was also unveiled at the Hall of Fame within the Center.
She had earlier been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 as the first female legislator to have been elected into the Senate for three consecutive terms.
Also at the event with the First Lady was the wife of the Vice-President, Hajia Nana Shettima and some wives of State Governors, amongst others.
