Fatima Lami Abubakar (born 12 April 1951) is a Nigerian jurist who was the

First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current First Lady, first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not creat ...

during the term of

Abdulsalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian Army general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. He succeede ...

from June 1998 to May 1999. After her reign as First Lady, Abubakar was the Chief Judge of

Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was fo ...

from 2013 to 2016.

Early life and education

Fatima Lami was born on 12 April 1951 in

Minna Minna is a city in Middle Belt Nigeria. It is the capital city of Niger State, one of Nigeria's 36 federal states. It consists of two major ethnic groups: the Gbagyi and the Nupe. History Archaeological evidence suggests settlement in the ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and completed her high-school education at Queen Elizabeth School in Ilorin

Kwara Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

. She went to college in

Ilorin Ilorin is the List of capitals of states of Nigeria, capital city of Kwara State in Western Nigeria.. Retrieved 18 February 2007 As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the List of Nigerian cities by population, 7th ...

before going to the

Federal Government College, Sokoto Federal Government College, Sokoto is a unity school that was founded by P.H Davis in 1966. History The school was the first of the first three unity schools, which were originally called Inter Regional Secondary Schools but later called Federal ...

, and

University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

. In her post-secondary studies, she completed multiple degrees in law, ranging from a bachelor's degree to a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

. Abubakar also completed additional schooling at the

Nigeria Law School The Nigerian Law School is an educational institution set up by the Government of Nigeria in 1962 to provide a Nigerian legal education to foreign-trained lawyers, and to provide practical training for aspiring Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. ...

. She is the first Nigerian First Lady to have graduated from university.

Career

Abubakar began her career in law as an inspector and

senior counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...

in Nigeria. She was named the solicitor general of the

Ministry of Justice in 1985 and a judge for the High Court in 1989. In March 2013, Abubakar was named the Chief Judge of Niger State. She held this position until her retirement in April 2016. Outside of her career in law, Abubakar was a part of a

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

from 1988 to 1989 and a bank fraud committee from 1989 to 1992. In June 1998, Abubakar became the

after her husband

assumed office of

President of Nigeria The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Niger ...

. Her reign as First Lady ended in May 1999. During her term as First Lady, Abubakar founded the Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative in 1999, which focuses on women's human rights. She was conferred with SIr Ahmadu Bellow Honours Award for her outstanding service to humanity, advocacy on child rights and prison congestion by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna.

Personal life

Abubakar is married to former President of Nigeria Abdulsalami Abubakar, with whom she has six children.

Bibliography

* Kabir, Hajara Muhammad,. ''Northern women development''. igeria . .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abubakar, Fati Lami 1951 births First Ladies of Nigeria Living people Obafemi Awolowo University alumni 20th-century Nigerian women 20th-century Nigerian lawyers Nigerian women judges