Hadiza Bala Usman

Hadiza Bala Usman (born January 2, 1976) is a Nigerian activist and politician. She is currently the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday 11 July 2016. She was formerly the Chief of Staff for the Kaduna State Governor. Bala Usman is an active member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hadiza Bala Usman - a trailblazer & activist

Hadiza Bala Usman was born in Zaria to the historian, Yusufu Bala Usman. Bala Usman

grew up close to the campus of Ahmadu Bello University, where her father worked.

Hadiza Bala Usman earned her bachelor's degree in 2000 from Ahmadu Bello University and her master's degree from the University of Leeds in

2009. She worked for a nongovernmental organization, the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training (CEDDERT) in Zaria as a research assistant for a year starting in 1999. She has also worked for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and as a Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Project Implementation. In 2011, she worked as Director of Strategy for the Good Governance Group (3G). In 2015, she was appointed Chief of Staff for the Kaduna State Governor. When Boko Haram kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014, Hadiza Bala Usman began to protest, leading groups around Nigeria and in the kidnapped girls' hometown of Chibok. She noticed that the Nigerian government was not prioritizing the kidnapping of the schoolgirls. Because of this, Bala Usman joined the campaign started by Obiageli Ezekwesili #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG). Bala Usman chose the color red for the campaign because it is a sign of "alarm, danger, a warning. She has encouraged women "to keep the issue in the public eye." Hadiza Bala Usman has also helped coordinate meetings with the parents of the kidnapped girls and members of the Nigerian government. Bala Usman has continued to protest with the BBOG campaign into 2016. She was appointed as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in July 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Her appointment generated a lot of

controversies as many saw her nomination as ethnically based and questioned her qualification for the specific role. Hadiza Bala Usman is married to economic analyst Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi who served under the former (Late) President Umaru Musa Yar'adua as an economic adviser and together they have two boys.

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