Babangida who made the announcement during at the Inaugural Annual Memorial Lecture in honour of the former first lady said he plans to establish a scholarship program across all levels of Nigerian school system in memory of his late wife.

Represented by Chief Emmanuel Eboh at the lecture, the former Head of State eulogised his wife describing her as a role model and supportive partner.

He said, “The late Maryam Babangida, whom we are honouring today is a great woman of value. She is a supportive wife, a caring mother and a role model who brought out the true colour of the Nigerian woman.

“She is a woman of colours in every aspect of her life. It is in view of her contribution to the emancipation of the Nigerian woman, that as a family, we want this annual event to embody scholarship awards.

“The scholarship award programme will be part of our contribution to the preservation of the memory of this great Nigerian woman. The scholarship will cut across all levels of the Nigerian school system,”

Maryam Babangida died of ovarian cancer on December 27, 2009 in California USA.