Binta Garba
| Binta Masi Garba | |
|---|---|
| Nigerian Senator | |
|
Assumed office June 2015 |
|
| Constituency | Adamawa North |
| Representative, Federal House of Assembly | |
|
In office 1999–2011 |
|
| Constituency | Kaduna South |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 April 1967 Kaduna, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party | All Progressives Congress (APC) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University, Kaduna Polytechnic |
| Nickname(s) | Iron Lady, Lady B and BMG |
Binta Masi Garba (born 17 April 1967) is a Nigerian politician, businesswoman, administrator, and philanthropist. She is the Senator of Adamawa North Senatorial District of Adamawa State. She served as Chairperson, Adamawa State chapter of All Progressives Congress and she is the first female State Chairperson of a registered major political party in Nigeria. She was elected into Federal House of Representatives three times (1999 - 2011). She is the first politician to represent two different Federal In 2009, she was elected as the first Vice President of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) under Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in Cameroon. She is the only female Senator-Elect in all the 19 Northern States of Nigeria in 2015 elections. She was also, the only female delegate from Adamawa State to the National Conference in Abuja.
Binta Masi Garba was born in Kaduna Army Barracks to a Muslim parents. Her parents are Higgi from Bazza, Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State. Her father Mr Garba Tumba was an Army Officer. She is the second child, thus she was named Masi according to Higgi traditional naming convention. Between 1975 and 1981, she attended Army Children School, New Cantonment D, Hayin Banki, Kaduna. From there she proceeded for her Secondary School Education and obtained her (GCE/WAEC ‘O’ Level) in Government Day School, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna South, Kaduna, between 1981 and 1987. She attended Kaduna Polytechnic and obtained Ordinary National Diploma (OND Marketing, 1990) and Higher National Diploma (HND Marketing,1997). In 2004, she went to Harvard Kennedy School of Government - Harvard University (Public Financial Management). She holds two Diplomas in Theology from the Bible School of Church Growth and Practical Ministry, and Matthew Owujaye's Ministry, Kaduna. She is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Theology from Smith Christian University, Miami, Florida.
Binta Masi Garba started her political career in the year 1998 in Kaduna, Nigeria. Before her political adventure, she worked with the New Nigeria Newspapers as an advert officer. The year she was expecting a promotion in the office, her male colleague got a double promotion and she was left out even though she has same business schedules like him. Binta Masi Garba always advocated for women rights and has been a voice for millions of voiceless Nigerian women and the oppressed; thus prompting her to take up the mandate to represent them in the Federal House of representative Kaduna South Federal Constituency. Not long from that gender inequality experience she decide to venture into politics in 1998 in Kaduna South Federal Constituency, a place where the prevailing culture forbid women to be in public domain. Her first bid in 1998 was not successful. Her desire for service made her to contest again in 1999 for the office of Federal House of Representatives. As a Christian, she won against her male opponent with a margin of not less than 5,000 in a Muslim dominated community, that shows her popularity and acceptability in Muslim dominated community. She was the youngest Federal legislator in Nigeria in 1999. After her first successful tenure, she contested again in 2003 and won against her opponent with a margin of not less than 50,000. Her opponent was a Muslim Mallam that was teaching in one of the Islamic Secondary School. The people consider her worthy of such office and never discriminate against her based on religious ground.
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