By Anthony Nwachukwu
Come November 20, the 2025 edition of the MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame (WoFHoF) will be honouring the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, with the Distinguished Leadership Award.
Akume, who will also be the Chief Guest of Honour at the event slated in Abuja, joins a line-up of distinguished leaders and governors to be celebrated at the one-day event themed, “Fostering Sustainability, Women and Leadership with Technologies.”
While Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State will chair the event, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State joins him as an awardee, with the Farmer-Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, also confirmed as guest of honour.
Other honourees include the First Lady of Bauchi State, Aisha Bala Mohammed; First Lady of Kebbi State, Zainab Nasir Idris; Aisha Atiku-Bagudu, who will be crowned MMS Hall of Fame Face of Northern Women; the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Press Council, Dr. Dili Ezughah; and the Chief Executive Officer of Project E, Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuka.
The event also marks 13 years of the MMS Hall of Fame legacy, known for spotlighting leadership excellence and inspiring impact-driven governance in both public and private sectors.
The 2025 MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame inductees are: the founder, Faustina Egbunike Foundation, Mrs. Faustina Ngozi Egbunike, the founder, Paradise Mission for Widows and Teenage Girls, Mrs. Jane Ogo Egbo, and the Senior Special Adviser on Health to Abia State Governor, Dr. Ngozi Azodoh.
Equally in the list are the former Permanent Secretary, Sa’adatu Husssaini Agade, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, the Chief Executive Officer, Happiest Soaring Eagle Entrepreneur Academy, Dr. Rosevivian Chigekwu, former Minister of Women Affairs, Maryam Ciroma, and the Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Right to Health, Dr. Stella Iwuagwu, among others.
The programme will feature a morning summit with two thought-provoking panel sessions and an induction ceremony, followed by an evening segment dedicated to the Leadership-Impact and SDGs Awards Night.
According to the organising chairperson, Amb. Mahmoud, this year’s edition is designed to “intentionally promote sustainability in gender diversity across critical sectors of the economy, and the inclusion of technology in alternative and informal education, while encouraging stronger participation of northern Nigerian women in socio-economic and political development.”
She noted that addressing the challenges limiting women’s access to education and empowerment is central to the 2025 focus, which aligns with the broader UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Meanwhile, Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) will also be honoured after emerging as Nigeria’s top performers in gender policy compliance in a recent MMS Hall of Fame assessment.
The evaluation, which covered 24 commercial and six non-interest banks, examined annual reports, sustainability disclosures and gender representation in leadership over a three-year period.
It found that only five banks met the compliance benchmark, with Zenith and GTCO standing out for exceeding the Central Bank of Nigeria’s gender inclusion targets of 30 per cent female representation on boards and 40 per cent in senior management.
Zenith Bank will receive the award for Best Gender-Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Bank in Nigeria, while GTCO is named the Best CBN Gender Policy Compliant Bank 2025.
Among the corporate Awardees are Skelas Group, LTT Coastal and Marine Services Limited, Nigerian Shippers’ Council(NSC) and Tyse Group.
Speakers and guests of honours include the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Dr. Ifenyinwa Ogbonna-Nwaogu of the Faculty of Social Sciences, NOUN, Abuja, while the Keynote Speaker is the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Ibrahim, among others.
Other speakers include the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Pius Akutah, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, while the Chief Hosts include the Founder/Chief Executive Officer, MMS WoFHoF Initiative, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke, and the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, among others.
