Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has emerged the only female minister to receive an award from Vanguard Newspapers, in recognition of her outstanding performance in office since her appointment by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on April 24, 2026, at the Eko Hotel & Suites, n Lagos, where the Minister will be formally honoured for what Vanguard described as her transformative leadership and reform-driven stewardship of the Ministry of Women Affairs.
This development shared by Mr Jonathan Eze, on Monday in Abuja, noted that the recognition reflects the Minister’s visible impact and unwavering commitment to national development.
In its Monday, March 2, 2026 edition (Page 41), Vanguard profiled the Minister under the headline, “SULAIMAN-IBRAHIM: Go-getter exemplifying Ferraro’s words,” describing her as a go-getter whose leadership style mirrors the resilience and strength long associated with iconic women in public service.
The newspaper drew parallels between Sulaiman-Ibrahim and the late Geraldine Ferraro as well as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, both of whom championed the capacity of women to lead decisively and effectively.
Referencing Ferraro’s famous declaration that “some leaders are born women,” and Thatcher’s assertion that “if you want anything done, ask a woman,” Vanguard observed that President Tinubu’s administration appeared to have heeded that counsel with Sulaiman-Ibrahim’s appointment.
Since her reassignment to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in October 2024, she has pursued what analysts describe as a bold reform agenda anchored on institutional rebuilding, trust restoration and strategic partnerships.
Under her leadership, 2025 was positioned not as a year of optics but as a year of concrete reforms.
She completed the long-overdue review of the National Child Protection Policy after an 18-year lapse, strengthening safeguards against child abuse, trafficking, child marriage, disability exclusion and child poverty.
The Ministry also launched a National Action Plan to End Violence Against Children, prioritising safe schools, alternative care systems, legal reforms and the creation of a national child protection database.
In advancing women’s economic empowerment, Sulaiman-Ibrahim scaled up implementation of the Nigeria for Women Project, supported by the World Bank, reaching 4.5 million women across all 36 states and the FCT with enhanced financial literacy, entrepreneurship support, access to finance and market integration.
She further operationalised the MOWA-SARA Accelerated Skills Acquisition Programme in partnership with WEMA Bank, targeting 500,000 women with vocational, digital and business development skills tied to structured market linkages.
Through collaboration with CREDICORP, the Minister facilitated access to affordable transport assets for over 1,000 women, expanding their participation in the mobility value chain.
She also worked with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and other stakeholders on the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Initiative, a $50 million programme supported by the WTO and ITC aimed at opening global digital trade opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Additionally, she launched the first Women Agro-Value Expansion Centre in the FCT, equipping beneficiaries with agro-education, access to inputs, value-chain support and market linkages.
Her Renewed Hope empowerment interventions across multiple states distributed food and non-food items, cash grants, solar home systems and productive assets, positioning empowerment as a strategic economic tool rather than welfare.
On justice and accountability, she strengthened nationwide implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, now domesticated in 35 states and the FCT, and supported the full domestication of the Child Rights Act across all 36 states.
She enhanced the National GBV Dashboard for real-time reporting and rolled out the National Costed Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage, currently under implementation in several states.
In health and social protection, she secured medical supplies through partnerships with the BRICS Women Russia Chapter, expanding healthcare access for vulnerable women, new mothers, survivors of gender-based violence and children requiring urgent care.
Quoting American writer Mark Twain, Vanguard noted that it is better to deserve honours and not have them than to have them and not deserve them, concluding that Sulaiman-Ibrahim’s recognition is rooted in visible reforms and measurable impact.
As the April 24 ceremony in Lagos approaches, stakeholders have described the honour as both timely and symbolic, affirming that purposeful leadership and sustained performance continue to attract national acclaim.
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