A Brief Profile On The Seven Women That Made Buhari’s Ministerial List


Seven women made the 2019 ministerial nominees list sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate for confirmation.

The figure represents 16.3% of the total of 43 nominees.

There were six women in his first list of 36 in 2015, which is also 16 percent.

The seven women on the list are Sharon Ikeazor, Zainab Ahmed, Gbemisola Saraki, Ramatu Tijjani-Aliyu, Sadiya Farouk, Mariam Katagun and Pauline Tallen.

Here is a brief profile on the seven of them.

1. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna)

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The 59-year-old Kaduna born, Zainab Ahmed, bagged her first degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 after-which she proceeded to Olabisi Onabanjo University for her MBA.

She was the executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). Ahmed is the daughter of Yahaya Hamza, the foster father of Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state.

She was appointed in September 2018 as Finance Minister after the resignation of Kemi Adeosun.

2. Paulen Talen (Plateau)

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Tallen is a native of Shendam born to the family of Kattiems. She got a degree in sociology at the University of Jos in 1982.

The 60-year-old politician was Minister of science and technology under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In 2007, she became the deputy governor of Plateau State, emerging the first woman to be a deputy governor in northern Nigeria. She also contested to be governor of the state in 2011 but lost to Jonah Jang.

She is a member board of trustees of All Progressive Congress and also a board member of National Agency for Control of Aids(NACA).

3. Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra)

Sharon Ikeazor was born into the family of Chief Chimezie Ikeazor, SAN, of Obosi, Anambra State, the founder of the Legal Aid for the Poor Scheme in Nigeria.


In 2011, she was elected the national women leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and emerged APC’s interim national women leader after the merger that produced the ruling party.

She was appointed as Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.

4. Ambassador Maryam Katagun (Bauchi)

Maryam Katagum is Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a role that she has occupied since June 2009. A deputy director at the ministry of education, she occupied the office of the secretary-general of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO between 2001 and 2009.

The Ahmadu Bello university graduate is also the deputy chair of the board of governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and member representing Nigeria on the UNESCO executive board.

5.Ramatu Tijjani (Kogi)

 49-year-old Ramatu Tijjani holds a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from the Ahmadu Bello University.

She also has an M.PA in Public Administration from Nasarawa State University, Keffi and a D.PA in Public Administration, Honoris Causa, from the Commonwealth University, London.

She served as the immediate past APC National woman Leader.

She is the first female national vice-chairman (north-central zone) of the then leading opposition political party, the All Peoples Party.

6. Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara)

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Gbemisola Saraki is a younger sister to ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

She was elected into the house of representatives in 1999 to represent Asa/Ilorin west federal constituency of Kwara. In 2003, the 54-year-old, who holds a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Sussex, was elected senator representing Kwara central senatorial district.

She held this position till 2011 when she tried to succeed her brother who was governor of Kwara between 2003 and 2011 but she lost despite having the backing of her father. She defected to the APC in 2015 and was believed to have worked against her brother’s re-election.

7. Sadiya Umar Faruk (Zamfara)

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She was educated at the Federal Government Girls’ College Gusau, Zamfara State and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State where she graduated with a Bsc. in Business Administration (Actuarial Science) in 1998.

Between 2011 – 2013, She became the National treasurer of the CPC , and then Interim National Treasurer of the APC from 2013-2014 before her appointment as Member, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council where she served in the directorates of election planning and monitoring, field operations, and fund raising, in preparation for the 2015 general elections which the APC won.

Sadiya was appointed in September 26, 2016, as the Honourable Federal Commissioner (HFC) of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).





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