Maryam Uwais

Maryam Hajiya Uwais, MFR is a Nigerian business woman, lawyer, human right activist and politician who served as the Special Advisor on Social Investments to Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 till 2023.

After her appointment, she was already an activist against poverty by working in N-Power,public enlightening and others.

In 1981, Uwais started her education at Ahmadu Bello University where she had her LL.M in 1985. Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies awarded her a certificate of honor in Advanced practice and Procedure that same year and Legal drafting in 1989.

She worked as a special rapporteur on Child's right of the council of the National Human Rights Commission. In 2009, She founded the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative. She has also worked as a Non-Executive Director and Member of Board of Directors of Stanbic IBTC Holdings.

Her advocacy has been on gender related issues and feminism. She quoted, "...child marriage as the worst form of violence against the girl-child."

Uwais was the National Coordinator of At-Risk-Children Programme sponsored and owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Most of her work also touches child marriage in Nigeria and proposing Women's empowerment.

She was one of the speakers for TEDxYaba 2017.

• Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship
• Fellow of World Economic Forum, 2019.
• Nigeria Leadership Initiatives
• advisory group to accelerate progress of the sustainable development goals (SDG) by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2011, Goodluck Johnathan awarded Maryam, Saudatu Mahdi and others a National Honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic. The International Women's Society awarded her that same year with the Humanitarian of the Year Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of This Day Awards for women of service in Nigeria. She was the recipient of National Human Rights Commission Awardee for Outstanding Contributions in the Advancement of the Rights of Women and Children in Nigeria, 2015.

In 2018, Uwais was honoured with the ‘Public Social Intrapreneur’ award.by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

• Uwais, Maryam (2007). The protocol on the rights of women in Africa and its compatibility with Islamic legal principles; In: Grace, tenacity and eloquence: the struggle for women's rights in Africa. Fahamu. p. 144-151. ISBN 9780954563721.

• Ukwuoma, A. (2013). Child Marriage in Nigeria: The Health Hazards and Socio-Legal Implications. Lulu press. ISBN 9781304456182.
• Anwar, A. (2019). Politics as Dashed Hopes in Nigeria. Nigeria: Safari Books Limited. ISBN 9789785598650.