By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja
The Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, is among the 2023 listees of “Nigeria Women Annual 100 Leading Women.”
Mariann Bassey –Orovwuje is a Lawyer, and environmental, human, and food rights advocate. She is a resilient, knowledgeable, focused food sovereignty campaigner and a frontline Amazon against the onslaught of biotech companies and their local agents on Nigeria and Africa’s seeds and food systems.
She is also the Coordinator of Friends of the Earth Africa’s Food Sovereignty Program. In addition, she is on the Friends of the International Steering Committee Food Sovereignty Program.
“The Nigeria Women Annual: 100 Leading Women” is the premier qualitative profiling of phenomenal women in Nigeria who have contributed to the development of Nigeria and the world. It is a gender-specific biographical compendium that responds to existing gender gaps in Nigeria’s biographical documentation and leadership.
In a joint statement by the Executive Director of Gender Perspective, Tammie Edet kammonke; and the CEO of Profiles & Biographies, Kammonke Abam, they said, “in publishing this compendium every year, we envision that we will continue to contribute to gender equality and women empowerment advocacy efforts towards filling the yawning gender gap in the leadership of Nigeria”.
According to them, documenting the accomplishments of outstanding Nigerian women and making women visible is a key objective of the “Nigeria Women Annual: 100 Leading Women”.
“As in the previous editions, the array of women who made the list this year all have stories that are inspirational; which we hope, will inspire readers, especially young girls and boys, who constitute our primary target”, the statement adds
They revealed that the book which is in both digital and hard copy versions would be on sale on Amazon and can also be purchased directly from the Publishers, Profiles & Biographies from March 8, 2023
The current edition is said to be the most qualitative biographical profile on Nigeria’s most inspirational and influential women whose work will contribute to shape Nigeria’s collective history in 2023.
“The 2023 sterling list of Nigeria’s foremost women leaders is a mixed grill of tech experts, pastors, politicians, teachers, activists, development practitioners, and C-Suite corporate leader’”
It includes notable women such as Her Excellency, Ambassador Mrs. Christy Mbonu, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the incumbent deputy governor of Kaduna State, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, the All-Progressives Congress “APC” senator representing Adamawa Central senatorial district in the 9th Assembly, and the Labour Party Senator-elect for the FCT, Ireti Kingibe
In the previous editions, the director general of, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; Chimamanda Adichie; Her Lordship, Justice Mary Odili; the Cross River Chief Judge, Her Lordship, Justice Akon Ikpeme; and former National Assembly member, Hon. Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo were among distinguished women listed.
Now in its sixth year, this compendium is published annually to commemorate International Women’s Day, March 8, and will run on livesmagazine.ng, the project media partners
