Zannah Mustapha
Zannah Bukar Mustapha | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 or 1959 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Zannah Bukar Mustapha[1] (born 1958 or 1959) is a Nigerian educator and lawyer. He quit the legal profession in 2007 to open a school for orphaned children, opening a second school in 2016. Mustapha has twice negotiated the release of girls and women abducted in north Nigeria. He is the 2017 winner of the Nansen Refugee Award.
Education[edit]
Mustapha holds bachelor's degree in law from the University of Maiduguri.[2]
Career[edit]
After graduation, Mustapha worked as a Sharia court lawyer, resigning in 2007 after 20 years to become an educator.[3] In the midst of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2007, Mustapha opened the Future Prowess Academy and Islamic Foundation School in Maiduguri, Borno State.[4][5] The school has no fees and also provides healthcare, food, and school uniforms to orphaned children.[4] Originally the school taught 36 students, growing to 540 in 2017.[4] Classes include Arabic, French, English, mathematics, cookery, and textile work.[6] In 2016, Mustapha opened a second school, a few kilometres from the first, that supports the education of 88 students.[4] Mustapha helped negotiate the release of 21 young women abducted in north Nigeria and the release of 82 Chibok schoolgirls in May 2017.[4]
Awards[edit]
In 2017, Mustapha was awarded the Nansen Refugee Award.[7] In 2021, Mustapha was identified as a CNN Hero at the 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute.[2]
Personal life[edit]
Mustapha was 63 years old in 2022.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mary Robinson to receive Tipperary international peace award". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ a b CNN Heroes Tribute: Zannah Mustapha - CNN Video, 15 December 2021, retrieved 2022-09-03
- ^ Eteng, Innocent (2022-07-29). "The Nigerian school with a radical idea: Teaching Boko Haram's kids". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ a b c d e "Visionary Nigerian teacher wins UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ Okunola, Akindare (29 April 2022). "This Man Built 4 Schools to Help Kids Orphaned & Displaced by Boko Haram Get an Education". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ Unah, Linus (15 Feb 2018). "In Nigeria, a school takes on the fight against Boko Haram". Devex.
- ^ Idowu, Yemisi Adegoke,Torera (2017-09-21). "Zannah Mustapha: The Nigerian man saving Boko Haram orphans". CNN. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Hallett, Vicky (2017-10-05). "His School For 540 Needy Kids Earns Him A U.N. Prize". NPR. Retrieved 2022-09-03.