Kaduna State First Lady, Hadiza El-Rufai, comes across as cerebral. Apart from her beauty, she also possesses an intimidating qualification.
This woman of substance, in spite of her elevated position, is still welcoming and does not put on airs. She is warm and not aloof. Very motherly and loving, she has the love of the people of the state at heart and her door is open to all.
This successful architect is also a writer and author. Her book, ‘An Abundance of Scorpions’, has been described as a heart-breaking tale of loss and an uplifting story of a woman’s strength and determination.
The Kaduna first lady, who is also a polyglot, is always in quest of knowledge. Those who know her say she has always shown evidence of a privileged woman blessed with a heart of gold.
In fact, all her actions in the past years point to the fact that she shares in her husband’s vision, which is to further change the face of Kaduna State and the country at large, while also bettering the lives of the indigenes.
The Kano State-born lady has a BSc and an MSc in Architecture (1983) and an MBA (1992) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as a Master’s in Creative Writing (2012) from Bath Spa University, United Kingdom.
She once worked as a lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Kaduna Polytechnic and the National Electric Power Authority, before working in private practice. The 59-year-old novelist has also been at the forefront in philanthropy with the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation (YELF) established in 2013.
