Breaking news on Thisday website has it that Mariam Babangida wife of former military president Ibrahim Babangida is dead.

Former first lady, Maryam Bagangida, has died after a prolonged battle with an illness believed to be cancer (Ovarian) at the age of 61. Maryam was married to the former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. A statement from Babangida’s family announced today that Maryam passed on early this morning after a protracted illness. The statement signed by Babangida’s special assistant, Ibrahim Ismail said the former chairperson of the Better Life for Rural Women during her husband's years in office had been hospitalised for ovarian cancer at University of California Los Angele's (UCLA) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, United States. “She died beside her husband, General Babangida who has been at her bedside in the US hospital till her death.” the family said. He got married to the former president (then a major and on the Biafran/Nigerian civil warfront) on September 6, 1969 many years before he became head of state and they had four children: 2 boys, and two girls namely, Mohammed, Aminu, Aisha and Halima. Maryam was born in November, 1948 in her hometown Asaba where she got early education before proceeding to Queen Amina's College Kaduna for her Secondary education. She finished as a Secretary at the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna and later got a secretarial diploma from from Laselle University, Chicago, USA. Apart from a short stop at a vocation in her line of training, before and shortly after marriage, Mrs. Babangida remained a full time housewife, establishing and nurturing the home front until the youngest had fairly come of age. The family made an epitaphic description thus: She is an incisive thinker and passionate lover of nature, gardening, birds and home decorations, she is "a poet's dream" and with disarming charm and an admirable deft blend of winning wit, quiet confidence and child-like grace, she has brought the institution of first-ladyship out of the closet to active participation in nation building.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=162814

Link na

A friend just hit my wall on fb too

Inna Lilahi wa inna ilaehi rajiun

See the breaking news here: http://www.thisdayonline.com/

Mrs. Maryam Babangida was born in November, 1948. She had fairly humble beginnings in her hometown of Asaba where she received part of her early education before moving up north to Queen Amina's College Kaduna for her Secondary education. She went on to graduate as a Secretary at the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna and later obtained a diploma in secretaryship from Laselle University, Chicago, USA as well as a Certificate in Computer Science from the NCR Institute in Lagos.

On September 6th,1969, two months before her 21st Birthday, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (then a Major), took time off the war front to marry her. Their marriage has been blessed with four children: 2 boys, Mohammed and Aminu and two girls, Aisha and Halima. Apart from a brief stop at a career in her line of training, before and shortly after marriage, Mrs. Babangida remained a full time housewife, establishing and nurturing the home front until the youngest had fairly come of age.

Mrs. Babangida, considered to be one of the greatest women in Africa today, made that significant sacrifice in her staunch belief that the family unit is the most crucial factor in the quality of society and of mankind and that the woman is the central anchor of the unit.

By 1983, she however was again ready for an active career, beyond the confines of the home front when her husband became the Chief of Army Staff on December 31st that year. She became the President of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA). It was during her twenty month presidency that her leadership qualities were first unfolded to the public as she mobilised her colleagues to embark aggressively on public spirited ventures which included building schools, clinics, women's multipurpose training centres and child day care centres. In that short period she hit the National limelight by transforming the image of the Association from one of redundancy and relative obscurity to a credible and action oriented body, thus winning more members and public goodwill in the process. Thus, by the time she became first lady shortly after, she had been well prepared to repeat her pioneering success at the national level.

An incisive thinker and passionate lover of nature, gardening, birds and home decorations, she is "a poet's dream" and with disarming charm and an admirable deft blend of winning wit, quiet confidence and child-like grace, she has brought the institution of first-ladyship out of the closet to active participation in nation building.

Such is the strength of her appeal that a usually catchy female columnist once wrote that Maryam Babangida has "the regality of a modern day Queen Amina of Nigeria, the determination of India's Indira Gandhi, the eloquence of a veteran demagogue and the elegance of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt".

Even these hallowed models would themselves have smiled with envy

sad news

May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Observing 1 Mins silence for the departed!
May her Gentle soul rest in perfect peace

Maybe they will be acussing Sharareporter (if they report it)to be lieing for the truth that we all know a long time ago. This woman like YAR A'LIAR has been on life support for a long time and on her way out.

The families are just waiting for the appopriate time to announce it. There is a limit to how long you can maradonna death

May her soul rest in peace.  

We human beings ( i know that over 90% of our 'leaders' are animals) still living should learn from this, that one day we shall all be gone.

She finally gave up ghost.

May her soul rest in peace.

Too many bad news around Nigeria.

God deliver the land.

eeyah!! Such sad news.
. . .but when will Nigeria die?

I wonder what all those nairaland haterz that have been been praying for this woman to die would finally say now.Wish her rip?.I know all of una

So she has gone the way of all mortal.

puskin:

eeyah!! Such sad news.
. . .but when will Nigeria die?

49 years ago

What a terrible loss to the evil genius, cos part of his covering had just dissappear. A great loss to Nigeria, cos she was a wonderful mother and a lover of children. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Didn't some idiot say she was studying"domestic medicine" lol

Now watch Nigerians mourn one of their oppressors!!

Is that all you've got? Thanks anyway for your derogratory comment

Yes Itz True OOOOOhhh I Have Seen It Now itz almost every where Online.

How many times will this woman die? This woman who helped her husband steal all our money. So all that money could not save her ko? Heard they were surprised that Nigeria did not collapse after they left cos they thought they had stolen all the money.

Didn't some slowpoke say she was studying"domestic medicine" lol

Now watch Nigerians mourn one of their oppressors!!

May she rot in HELL!

We shall never mourn a treasury looter.

RICHIE BOI:

Mrs. Babangida, considered to be one of the greatest women in Africa today, made that significant sacrifice in her staunch belief that the family unit is the most crucial factor in the quality of society and of mankind and that the woman is the central anchor of the unit.

Greatest women by flipping bleeping arse.

What an insult to our intelligence!!! 

The author should be Boko Haramed! 

i am very sad it wasn't the chief looter himself. I.B.B

Lets let the sleeping dog lie sagamite

~Bluetooth:

Is that all you've got? Thanks anyway for your derogratory comment

You're Welcome.

otokx:

How many times will this woman die? This woman who helped her husband steal all our money. So all that money could not save her ko? Heard they were surprised that Nigeria did not collapse after they left cos they thought they had stolen all the money.

lol

Sagamite:

May she rot in HELL!

lol, she's in "paradise"

ode remo:

i am very sad it wasn't the chief looter himself. I.B.B

very sad indeed!!!

~Bluetooth:

Lets let the sleeping dog lie sagamite

This one na dead dog na!!!

May more Nigerian public treasury looters depart this world in 2010. They should die by sickness, bullet or mysteriously.

Martian
I like your way.Keeg it up

sagamite
Wetin we go come do now

Oonpe! If i can remember some week ago,her bro said shes healthy and studin medicine in d us,so what new

So this woman really died. I fear sahara reporters. So this woman has been bed ridden all there while? Well death is inevitable no matter how rich or poor you are. Its a price we all got we pay on earth one day. May her soul rest in peace.

May more Nigerian public treasury looters depart this world in 2010. They should die by sickness, bullet or mysteriously.