Ex-Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has poured encomiums on his late wife, Maryam Babangida, describing her as the pillar of his life. Maryam was born in Asaba on November 1, 1948, and passed away from complications of ovarian cancer on December 27, 2009, in the United States. She married IBB in 1969, and one of her legacies was making the Office of the First Lady a recognized part of the nation’s presidency.
Her sense of fashion was also novel in the annals of Nigerian women during her tenure as First Lady. She founded the Better Life Programme for Rural Women in 1987, which launched many cooperatives, cottage industries, farms and gardens, shops and markets, women’s centers, and social welfare programs. In 1993, she established the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women’s Development for research, training, and mobilizing women toward self-emancipation.
During his book launch, titled A Journey in Service, IBB said, “She is the pillar of my personal and professional journey.” He added, “The army did not issue me a wife, but it made clear that having one would assist in career advancement. A stable family is a criterion for judging officers.
After my first close encounter with death in the Civil War, I prioritised establishing a stable family life. “My relationship with Maryam, born Maria in Asaba on November 1, 1948, was connected to my youth in Bida. Garba Duba, my friend from secondary school, and I entered Course Six at the Nigeria.
