Zainab Marwa-Abubakar: Aspire Women Forum Founder and Author
Dr. Zainab Marwa-Abubakar is a Nigerian women’s advocate, author and the founder of the Aspire Women Forum. She is also the daughter of retired Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a connection that shapes much of how she is described in the press. This profile separates what she has said in published interviews and what newspapers have reported from claims that circulate without sources.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information and source |
|---|---|
| Name | Dr. Zainab Marwa-Abubakar |
| Known for | Founder and president, Aspire Women Forum (The Nation) |
| Father | Brig. Gen. (retd.) Mohammed Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman (The Nation; Punch) |
| Family roots | Her father is from Michika, Adamawa State; her mother was from Emekuku, Imo State, by her own account (The Nation) |
| Author | 101 Nigerian Women of Impact, launched March 2023 (Daily Trust) |
| Public service | Special Assistant to the Minister of the FCT, described as “former” in October 2024 (The Nation) |
| Date of birth | Not publicly confirmed |
A soldier’s daughter
In an October 2024 interview with The Nation, Marwa-Abubakar described growing up in a military household. She said her father’s regimented routine meant the family often ate together, and that frequent relocations let her attend schools in several states and countries, including the United States and Nigeria. She said she is a daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of soldiers, and that her brother also served in the Nigerian Army.
She also said that, when she was 16 or 17, her father survived a motorcade bombing while serving as military governor of Lagos State. Her response, she said, was gratitude rather than fear, a reaction she links to being taught to trust God’s protection. We cite this as her recollection, since we did not find a separate report of the incident.
A cross-cultural family
She described her upbringing as cross-cultural. According to the interview, her father comes from Michika Local Government Area in Adamawa State, and her mother from Emekuku in Imo State. She said her home was free of friction over tribe or religion, and she spoke with sadness about people who view fellow Nigerians through a tribal lens, saying the country was once “united” and “can be that again.”
She also spoke about her mother, who shared her first name and who died on 8 January 2022. She called her mother “the backbone of my existence” and said her mother had wanted her to earn a doctorate. We include this only because she chose to speak about it publicly, and we do not add other family details.
Education and titles
Marwa-Abubakar is addressed as “Dr.” in The Nation, which describes her as an author, gender advocate and philanthropist. A public LinkedIn profile lists a PhD in Gender Studies from Nasarawa State University, Keffi, covering 2019 to 2022, and a law degree from the University of Buckingham. Daily Trust used the title “Barrister” in a 2019 report. These details come from her own profile and press usage, and we could not check them against university or Nigerian Bar records, so readers should treat the exact dates as self-reported. The interview also suggests the doctorate was completed around the time of her mother’s death, though the wording is ambiguous.
Founding the Aspire Women Forum
The Nation reports that the Aspire Women Forum is a women-focused non-governmental organisation founded in 2019. She describes its mission as helping women recognise their potential and contribute to national development, through four areas: political participation, personal growth, happiness and fulfilment, and education and agency. She says it runs workshops, mentorship programmes and conferences through a network with chapters across Nigeria.
One discrepancy is worth noting. Her LinkedIn profile lists the role of president from 2014, while her interview and press reports date the forum to 2019. We use 2019 because it appears in multiple sources.
Speaking on women in politics
Two news reports show how she frames her message. On International Women’s Day 2019, Daily Trust reported that she urged women at an Abuja session to engage in politics, set big goals and “work smart.” In July 2022, Punch reported that she told an event at the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja that mentorship is a vital tool for gender inclusion, ahead of the 2023 elections, and that women and youth should help drive participation in political and entrepreneurial spaces.
Running for the House of Representatives
In The Nation interview, she said she contested the House of Representatives election in Abuja in 2019, and that the experience taught her the importance of integrity in politics and what kind of politician she did not want to be. She said she campaigned in each ward, held town hall meetings and visited homes. Older versions of this page claimed an active role in the 2023 election as a member of the All Progressives Congress. We found no source for that claim, and we have removed it. We also could not confirm from the party’s official candidate list whether she became the party’s candidate in 2019; our check of that list showed a different name for the Abuja Municipal/Bwari seat, so her account may refer to the aspirant stage.
Author of 101 Nigerian Women of Impact
In March 2023, Daily Trust, citing the News Agency of Nigeria, reported that she unveiled her book 101 Nigerian Women of Impact in New York. The event was hosted by Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations to mark International Women’s Day, during the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. She said the book celebrates women who have broken barriers, and the then Consul-General in New York said it would be kept in the consulate’s library.
Public service
A LinkedIn entry lists her as Special Assistant in the Office of the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from November 2021. The Nation described her in October 2024 as a “former” special assistant, so readers should check her current status before assuming she still holds the role.
Faith and approach to criticism
Her interview language shows how central faith is to her self-description. She said she was raised to trust in Allah, and she described her father as someone who still attends Islamiyya classes. On controversy, she said she avoids it by living simply, and that she has “no interest in negativity or living a lavish lifestyle.” That is her own characterisation, and not an independent finding.
What we could not verify
- Date of birth and age. She has not published them, and no reliable source does.
- Net worth. No credible source exists.
- 2023 political role. We found no support and removed it.
- Whether she was the 2019 candidate. Her own statement says she contested, but we could not confirm party candidacy.
- Degrees and years. Self-listed on LinkedIn and not checked with the institutions.
- Her children and spouse. We deliberately omit them, as they are private and not necessary to her public work.
Sources
- The Nation
- Daily Trust
- Punch
- APC
