Tragedy Inspired This Woman to Change Her Country

Instead of giving up, Hafsat Abiola-Costello turned a family tragedy into a source of inspiration and a spark of change for Nigeria.

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by TwentyThirty, March 7, 2018
Hafsat Abiola-Costello

This article originally appeared on TwentyThirty.

Hafsat Abiola-Costello went through very difficult times in her life. Instead of giving up, she turned a family tragedy into a source of inspiration. Today, she is a women’s rights activist and a leader of the democratic movement in Nigeria, one of the most populous countries in Africa.

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Hafsat is the daughter of Moshood Abiola, who was president-elect in Nigeria in 1994. She is a cabinet member in Ogun State, Nigeria, and the founder of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy. She also serves as a Commissioner for the World Future Council and as a treasurer for the NGO Women's Learning Partnership. Hafsat's activism has earned her several awards, including last year's GOI Peace Award for her “unwavering commitment to advance women’s rights and leadership in Africa.”

Hasfat Abiola-Costello was a participant of the BMW Foundation Global Table in Athens.

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This article is presented in collaboration with TwentyThirty

TwentyThirty is an online magazine presented by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. It sheds light on the social, political, and environmental challenges we face and features inspiring Responsible Leaders who are working to solve them. Follow their work on Facebook.