Maryam Uwais OON

Mrs. Maryam Uwais, OON, is a distinguished legal practitioner and human rights advocate with nearly 40 years of experience. She currently serves as a Consultant to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, advising on strategic engagement with regions facing the country’s highest levels of poverty, food insecurity, and out-of-school children.

She was formerly the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investments, where she played a leading role in designing and implementing national social protection programs. Her legal career spans the Kano State Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and private practice.

Mrs. Uwais earned her LL.B from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981. She holds an LL.M and multiple certifications, including Advanced Practice and Procedure and Legal Drafting from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, an International Practice Diploma in International Business Organisations from the College of Law, England and Wales, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Insurance.

She served as Principal Partner at Wali-Uwais & Co., which later merged to become Primera Africa Legal. Her governance and advisory roles span several boards and institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission (as Special Rapporteur on Child Rights), the Justice Research Institute, LEAP Africa, WISCAR, and the Nigerian Leadership Initiative. She has also contributed to critical national and regional committees such as the Kano State Almajiri Committee, the Presidential Advisory Council under President Goodluck Jonathan, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Additionally, Mrs. Uwais has served on the Editorial Board of THISDAY newspaper and the Board of Stanbic IBTC Bank. She is currently a member of the Lagos Business School Advisory Board and has consulted for organizations including UNICEF, the World Bank, DfID, and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

An accomplished writer and public speaker, she has published widely on economic and social rights, child justice administration, interfaith dialogue, and good governance. She is the founder of the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative (IWEI), through which she continues to drive grassroots impact in northern Nigeria. Mrs. Uwais is a recipient of numerous awards, including the National Honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), the Schwab Social Intrapreneur Award, and the McNulty Prize.