Eki Igbinedion (born 4 August 1959) is the former First Lady of

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

and wife of

Lucky Igbinedion Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion (born 13 May 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the governor of Edo State from 1999 to 2007. Early life Igbinedion was born on 13 May 1957. He is the eldest son of Gabriel Igbinedion. He holds a BSc in ma ...

, the Former Governor of

. Igbinedion founded Idia Renaissance, a non governmental civil society organization based in

, with the aim of combating

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

, including reception of victims of human trafficking.

Early life and education

Igbinedion was born into the royal family of Prince and Princess Oyemarense in

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

, the capital of Edo State. She attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

where she obtained a bachelor's degree in economics.

Pet projects

As the First Lady of Edo State, Igbinedion undertook some pet projects to help the less privileged and also help solve some societal problems in the state. In 1999, she established the Idia Renaissance to help address the issue of sex and human trafficking in Edo State. She also founded the Edo Underprivileged Children Scholarship Trust Funds with the goal of providing scholarships to the less privilege in the state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Igbinedion, Eki 1959 births Nigerian women activists First ladies of Nigeria Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century Nigerian women 21st-century Nigerian women Living people