From Fred Itua, Abuja
First ladies of Adamawa State, Lami Ahmadu Fintiri; Bauchi State, Aisha Bala Mohammed; Borno State, Falmata Zulum, Ebony State, Rachael Umahi, Edo State, Betsy Obaseki; Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; Kaduna State, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai; Kano State, Hafsat Ganduje; Katsina State, Zakkiya Masari; Kwara State, Folake Abdulrazaq; Osun State, Kafayat Oyetola; Plateau State, Regina Lalong; Sokoto State, Maryam Tambuwal; Taraba State, Anna Ishayku; and Zamfara State, Aisha Matawalle, have won this year’s edition of The Most Valuable Governor’s Wife Award.
Team leader and chief executive officer of the Awards Tom Obulu said it is designed to lead a new phenomenon in the assessment and recognition of governors’ wives who are providing complementary achievements to their spouses’ achievements.
He said governors’ wives have become part of the democratic team that have been providing grassroot development, hence the institution of this award.
‘The 36 governors’ wives and the wife of the FCT minister are assessed based on their project availabilities in the public domain and their impacts on their beneficiaries are considered,’ he said.
‘Thereafter, the governors’ wives shortlist comes from impact of their projects experienced by the beneficiaries in their various localities with the assessment team adopting certain criteria. They’re sustainability, empowerment, impact, change agent and corporate branding, according to global best practices.
‘The earlier editions were held in Abuja (since 2014, 2015 and 2017), where the amiable governors’ wives whose NGOs made public impacts received the golden sculpture for the first time in the history of Nigeria. The past key note speakers were Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija (The richest black woman in the world) in 2014; Hajia Fati Abubakar (Former First Lady of Nigeria and wife of the Former Head of State) in 2015 and Chief Mrs. Titi Abubakar (Former Vice President wife) in 2017.
‘For instance, Aisha Bala Mohammed, wife of the governor of Bauchi State with her Al-Muhibba Foundation and its unique selling point cemetery upgrade/beautification, and smart agriculture for indigent women in FCT/Bauchi State, has done a lot. She is a second time winner of the award).’
