At a time when women rights suffrage was still alien to the national and global discourse, for the first time in Nigerian/African history, the position of a President's wife moved from that of dainty obscurity to national prominence.
This is solely due to the efforts of a woman who has come to be referred to, (and aptly so), as Africa's foremost First Lady of all time; Her Excellency, Late Hajiya Dr. (Mrs.) Maryam Ndidi Babangida (nee. Okogwu) (1941-2009), when she launched the Better Life for Rural Women Program during her time in office as Nigeria's First Lady (1985-1993).
The Better Life Program was the vehicle through which Dr. (Mrs.) Babangida brought to the fore and addressed issues relating to women and children development on a national scale.
So glaring was the success of the Better Life Program (under the leadership of Late Mrs. Babangida) that globally renowned development organizations like UNICEF, partnered with the initiative; riding on the back of its national, regional and continental appeal, to engage Africa's most rural (and urban slum) population dwellers in combating and successfully taming the 6 childhood killer diseases at the time!
Today, over a decade after her demise, The Better Life Program is still waxing strong and has been relaunched and revitalized by Her Excellency Dr. Aisha .I. Babangida (First daughter of Maryam and former 1st Lady, Zamfara State, Nigeria) and has attained greater gravitas in building upon the enduring legacy of the great work started by her beloved late mother; reaching a younger generation of Africans and scaling up the instituted thematic focus areas established by the Founder covering
●Child Health & Safety
●Economic empowerment of rural (& urban slum) women
●Adult Women Literacy and
●Access to Finance (via cooperative societies and microfinance).
The goal of which still remains A BETTER LIFE for the African rural women (and children), H.E Aisha .I. Babangida has taken bold steps, guided by her mother's landmarks to institute and establish offshoot initiatives and programs of her own such as the "Women Enterprise Alliance" (WENA) Initiative and most recently the "Mothers of the Nation" Confluence; aimed at celebrating and documenting the contributions of past Nigerian First Ladies and their efforts at national/regional development that will ensure the enduring and sustainable impact of these programs and objectives in the lives of underserved Africans.
On this edition of The 3rd Sector, H.E Aisha Babangida sits with host, Kemak Onyenaucheya, and reminisces about the legacy of her beloved mother as well as the developmental steps that the Better Life Foundation is taking, since her reining the helms of leadership.
It is a very heartwarming and engaging one.

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