Hafsat Abiola

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Hafsat Abiola
Hafsat Abiola Nigerian activist.jpg
Born
Hafsat Olaronke Abiola

(1974-08-21) August 21, 1974 (age 47)
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Alma materHarvard University
Tsinghua University
Spouse(s)Nicholas Costello m.2005
ChildrenKhalil
Anabella
Parents
Websitekind.org/whoweare/board

Hafsat Olaronke Abiola-Costello (born August 21, 1974) in Lagos, is a Nigerian human rights, civil rights and democracy activist, founder of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), which seeks to strengthen civil society and promote democracy in Nigeria.

Early life and education[]

Abiola-Costello is the eighth child of Nigeria's uninaugurated president-elect, the late Chief Moshood Abiola and late Kudirat Abiola. Her father, Moshood Abiola, was put in prison by the dictator Gen. Sani Abacha for treason after declaring himself president. The elder Abiola later died while in detention in 1998. While her mother was murdered during a demonstration for the release of her husband in 1996.[1]

Abiola-Costello graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, in 1992 and Harvard College in 1996 where she received a degree in Development Economics and later earned her M.Sc. in International Development from Tsinghua University, Beijing.[2] She received an honorary doctorate from Haverford College.

Career[]

Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND)[]

In honor of her mother's death, she founded KIND in 1997 with the aim of promoting the development of women as initiators of change through leadership and awareness programs. She is currently board president[3][2]

Later works[]

In 2009, Abiola-Costello founded China-Africa Bridge and China Africa Forum, which promotes mutually beneficial cross-cultural collaboration between China and Africa, with a specific eye on women's contributions to the economy.[4]

In 2006 she raised funds by organising performances of The Vagina Monologues in Nigeria.[5][6]

Since May 2008, she is also a Councillor at the World Future Council among 49 other well known personalities.

Abiola-Costello is an advisory council member at the Fetzer Institute as well as the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

In July 2011, she was appointed as the Special Adviser to the Governor of Ogun State with responsibility for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.[2]

Personal life[]

In 2001, she married Nicholas Costello, a British diplomat from the United Kingdom. Together, they have 2 children: Khalil and Anabella.[7][8]

A documentary, "The Supreme Price" details the story of Hafsat Abiola and how both her parents paid a terrible cost in their quest for a better, freer Nigeria. It was directed by Joanna Lipper, a lecturer at Harvard University, who tells the story from Hafsat's perspective. The documentary also includes interviews with Walter Carrington, former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, and Nobel Prize-winning writer Wole Soyinka.[9][10]

Awards and recognitions[]

In 2000, Abiola was honored as a Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In 2003, she was elected as a Fellow of the Ashoka: Innovators for the Public in recognition of her international status as a social entrepreneur. In 2006 she was nominated to be a founding councilor at the World Future Council.

In 2015 she was chosen to be one of 21 women who met for a conference at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government funded by Hunt Alternatives. The group included Judy Thongori from Kenya, Fauzia Nasreen from Pakistan and Olufunke Baruwa, Esther Ibanga and Ayisha Osori also from Nigeria.[11]

Hafsat Abiola, Willem Dafoe and Bianca Jagger at the Dropping Knowledge project's Table of Free Voices in Berlin, September 2006

Some of her other awards and recognitions include:

  • Youth Peace and Justice Award of the Cambridge Peace Commission, 1997
  • State of the World Forum Changemaker Award, 1998
  • Woman to Watch for Award, 1999
  • Global Leader of Tomorrow Award, World Economic Forum, 2000
  • Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Global Award, 2001
  • Goi Peace Award, 2016
  • Seeking Common Ground Award, 2007

Notes[]

  1. ^ The Brutal Assassination of Kudirat Abiola, NAIJArchives, Retrieved 8 February 2016
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Our Board". KIND. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  3. ^ Edozien, Glory (2013-03-08). "Glory Edozien presents the Inspire Women Series: Hafsat Abiola Costello". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  4. ^ Abiola, Hafsat. "Africa, China and Women" Archived 2012-07-09 at archive.today for Economica: Women and the Global Economy. October 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Allure : Hasfat's new war, Vanguard, Feb 19, 2006
  6. ^ KIND brings back Vagina Monologues to Nigeria, Business Day, Feb 22, 2007
  7. ^ "Nicholas Costello". www.myheritage.com. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  8. ^ Pamela Zuber (2015-06-02). "Writing clip_PZ_Abiola-Costello". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "Review: 'Supreme Price' tallies the cost of seeking change in Nigeria". Los Angeles Times. 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  10. ^ "New film relays Kudirat Abiola's struggle". Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics. 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  11. ^ 17 women changing the world, Jan 2015, InclusiveSecurity, Retrieved 8 February 2016

External links[]

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