Iyom Josephine Anenih (born 6 July 1948) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

politician who was appointed Minister of Women Affairs on 6 April 2010, when Acting President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

announced his new cabinet.

Biography

Born in

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the ...

in 1948, she moved frequently as her father, a civil servant with the Public Works Department, served postings in States all over

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 ...

. She was born and into a Christian family. She completed her secondary education at Queen's College, Lagos. Studying Law, she received a B.Ed, LLB, and B.L. from the University of Ife (1974/75) and the University of Benin. Her husband,

Tony Anenih Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

(1933–2018) was appointed Minister of Works in 1999 in President

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...

's first cabinet. She was the chairperson of the Federation of Women Lawyers from 1994 to 2000, and was the first National Woman Leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2005. In April 2002, she said that implementation of the Sharia legal system in

Kano State Kano State (Hausa: ''Jihar Kano''جىِهَر كَنوُ) (Fula: Leydi Kano 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲𞤮𞥅 ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajee ...

had ensured the promotion of women's rights as dictated by Islam. She was a Special Adviser on Women Affairs to President Obasanjo until 2006. She was one of the founder of the ''Women Foundation Nigeria (WFN)'', an organization that helps Nigerian women in exchanging views on global women's issues and to help empower women in politics. She is a member of the ''Gender Electoral and Constitutional Memoranda Committee'', which aims to incorporate women's perspectives in Nigeria's Electoral Laws and reforms.

References

Living people 1948 births Federal ministers of Nigeria Gender equality National Working Committee people Women's ministers Queen's College, Lagos alumni Obafemi Awolowo University alumni University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni People from Sokoto 21st-century Nigerian politicians 21st-century Nigerian women politicians Women government ministers of Nigeria {{Nigeria-politician-stub