Hadiza Bala Usman

Hadiza Bala Usman (born January 2, 1976) is a Nigerian activist and politician. She is currently the Chief of Staff for the Kaduna State Governor.[1] Bala Usman is an active member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).[2]

Biography

Bala Usman was born in Zaria to the historian, Yusufu Bala Usman.[1] Bala Usman grew up close to the campus of Ahmadu Bello University, where her father worked.[3] Bala Usman earned her bachelor's degree in 2000 from Ahmadu Bello University and her master's degree from the University of Leeds in 2009.[1] She worked for a non-governmental organization, the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training (CEDDERT) in Zaria as a research assistant for a year starting in 1999.[4] She has also worked for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and as a Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Project Implementation.[1] In 2011, she worked as Director of Strategy for the Good Governance Group (3G).[1] In 2015, she was appointed Chief of Staff for the Kaduna State Governor.[1]

When Boko Haram kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014, Bala Usman began to protest, leading groups around Nigeria and in the kidnapped girls' hometown of Chibok.[5] She noticed that the Nigerian government was not prioritizing the kidnapping of the schoolgirls.[3] Because of this, Bala Usman started the campaign, #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG).[6] Bala Usman chose the color red for the campaign because it is a sign of "alarm, danger, a warning."[7] She has encouraged women "to keep the issue in the public eye."[8] Bala Usman has also helped coordinate meetings with the parents of the kidnapped girls and members of the Nigerian government.[9] Bala Usman has continued to protest with the BBOG campaign into 2016.[10] She was also featured in Financial Times,[3] and at CNN for her work with BBOG.[11]

Bala Usman is married to an economic analyst and together they have two boys.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Adi, Femi (29 June 2015). "El-Rufai names Hadiza Bala Usman, First Female Chief of Staff". The News Nigeria. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Abdullahi, Musa (18 February 2015). "#BringBackOurGirls Campaign Coordinator Urge Nigerians To Vote In APC & Vote Out PDP Government". NewsWire NGR. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Wallis, William (12 December 2014). "Women of 2014: Hadiza Bala Usman". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Event Speakers". WimBiz. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "Kidnap of Schoolgirls Triggers Worldwide Awareness Drive". The Saturday Star (South Africa). 10 May 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "WMC Live #114: Sharon Isbin, Rossana D'Antonio, Hadiza Bala Usman". Women's Media Center Live. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 Oduah, Chika (16 July 2014). "Hadiza Bala Usman: Her Father’s Daughter". Metropole. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Protesters Seek Release of Abducted Schoolgirls". Cape Times (South Africa). 15 October 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ "Nigeria Leader's Meet with Missing Girls' Parents 'Rescheduled'". Anadolu Agency. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  10. ↑ Ezeamalu, Ben (4 January 2016). "#BringBackOurGirls Movement fumes over Boko Haram defeat claim, to march on Presidential Villa". Premium Times. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Parke, Phoebe (27 January 2015). "Leading Women's most inspiring women of 2014". CNN. Retrieved 2 February 2016.

External links

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