Pauline Kedem Tallen OFR (born 8 January 1959 ) 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 and the current Minister for Women Affairs Minister and Social Development. She was appointed in 2019 by President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...

after turning down ambassadorial nomination in 2015 on the grounds that she was not consulted prior to the announcement of the appointment and that she would not accept the offer for equal distribution of power among the three senatorial districts of her native state of plateau because she is from same local government as Governor Simon Lalong. In 1999, she was appointed Minister of State for science and technology to the cabinet of former 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 ...

. In 2007, she became the deputy governor of Plateau State and the first woman to be a deputy governor in

northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Nort ...

. she also contested to be governor of the state in 2011, but lost to Jonah Jang. She is presently a member, board of trustees of All Progressive Congress, and was honoured as woman of the year for her contribution to Nigeria at the 10th African Icon of Our Generation Award. She is a board member of National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA).

Early life and education

Tallen is a native of Shendam, to the family of Kattiems. She got a degree in sociology at the

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a Federal University in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. ...

in 1982.

Political career

Tallen's political career started in 1976, when she was the clerical officer at Shendam local government council, then later ministry of local government affairs. In 2011, she joined Labour Party, then contested in the gubernatorial election of the state. By 1994, she was made a councillor in Plateau State. She was made commissioner in the state by the military government between 1994 and 1999. In 1999, she was appointed Minister of State for Science and Technology, becoming the first woman to be appointed as a minister in that capacity by former president,

. Before the 2015 general elections, she decamped from PDP to APC, a move she believed angered some people in her state. However, she described the move as a calling from God, with no regrets. In 2015, she rejected an ambassadorial nomination by President Buhari, citing federal character and zoning in her state as reasons. In an interview with ''

Leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

'', she explained that as deputy governor she contested against the governor for the betterment of the state and because the governor didn't have the interest of the people at heart. She also stated that the victory of President Buhari at the 2015 general elections was divinely orchestrated.

Personal life

She was married to John Tallen, a chieftain of the People's Democratic Party who died in 2017. She has five children. In 2013, Tallen's son took her to court for disrupting his freedom of expression and movement. She however responded a few days later by having her son charged to court for burglary and theft of her jewelries for which her son was remanded in prison custody.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallen, Pauline 1959 births Living people Recipients of the Order of the Federal Republic University of Jos alumni People from Plateau State Federal ministers of Nigeria Women government ministers of Nigeria All Progressives Congress politicians Labour Party (Nigeria) politicians Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians Deputy Governors of Plateau State Women state deputy governors of Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian politicians 20th-century Nigerian women politicians 21st-century Nigerian politicians 21st-century Nigerian women politicians