Ekiti State former First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi on Tuesday got inducted into the Nigerian Women Hall of Fame of the Mariam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCW).
The Nigerian First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, which also featured the renaming of the Mariam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, lauded the contributions of Nigerian women, including Erelu Fayemi, to the development of the country.
She urged women not to relent in their sundry contributions to the development of the country through individual and group intervention as well as leading by example.
The Director General of the Centre, Dr Asabe Bashir, said Erelu Fayemi was considered for the induction as a result of the former Ekiti First Lady’s “life-long commitment to the empowerment of women across Africa” and in recognition of her role as the co-founder of the African Women Development Fund as well as her various initiatives that are geared towards promoting the rights and welfare of women and the girl child.
Bashir said the Centre recognizes Fayemi’s contribution to nation building, especially in serving as role model for young girls and providing quality leadership for women across the continent.
Mrs Fayemi who had received several local and international awards for her roles in providing veritable platform for women and girls to maximise their potentials and fighting against gender inequality was honored alongside other female role models, drawn from different walks of life.
The Hall of Fame was set up specifically for Nigerian women to pay tribute to their efforts and contributions to National Development. The Hall of Fame also provides role models for young girls and the larger society about the unlimited potentials of women, this helps to project women as active contributors to national development.
Erelu Bisi Fayemi, a former First Lady of Ekiti State, is a social entrepreneur, writer and women rights activist. She also served as United Nations Women Nigeria Senior Advisor and currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Centre, King’s College, London.