With a resume that would make any woman thirst for ambition, former minister of education during the Obasanjo regime and known advocate of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, Oby Ezekwesili, has shown that hard work and passion will get you what you want.
Known for her actions and works as a policy expert, humanitarian, and activist, she is one of Nigeria’s most popular women of this age.
Here are 11 facts about her that you should know.
1. Obiangeli Ezekwesili was born April 28, 1963, in Lagos.
2. She hails from Anambra State.
3. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She obtained her master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, as well as a master of Public Administration degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
4. She trained with the firm of Deloitte & Touche and qualified as a chartered accountant.
5. Before working as a minister, Ezekwesili worked with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the Center for International Development at Harvard.
6. Ezekwesili was appointed Minister of Solid Minerals in June 2005, and in June 2006, she was appointed Minister of Education.
7. During her tenure, Ezekwesili kick-started the Olusegun Obasanjo administration as the pioneer head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (aka Due Process Unit). She got the nickname ‘Madam Due Process’ during this campaign.
8. Ezekwesili was appointed as the vice president for the African region by the World Bank in March 2007.
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9. Oby Ezekwesili was a co-founder of Transparency International in Berlin, Germany, and served as a director in the global anti-corruption body.
10. Since 2014, Ezekwesili has been at the forefront of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, co-founding it. She is also the founder and convener of the #RedCardMovement.
11. She contested for the office of the president of Nigeria on the platform of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) but withdrew from the presidential race on January 4, 2019.
11. Oby Ezekwesili is married to Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, and they have three sons: Chinemelum, Chinweuba, and Chidera.
12. Ezekwesili is a recipient of numerous awards, including:
- Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2006)
- One of the 100 Most Influential Africans by the New African Magazine (2012)
- BBC’s 100 Women (2013 and 2014)
- One of the 25 Women of Impact by The New York Times (2015)
- Forbes Woman Africa Social Influencer Award for her efforts on the #BringBackOurGirls campaign (2019)
- Global Leadership Awards honoree (2020)
- One of the 100 Genius visionaries inducted by the Genius 100 Foundation.