Born on August 26, 1962, Hajia Yabawa Lawan Wabi is the new Finance Minister of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). A female chartered accountant from the Northern Nigeria, she is a housewife and working mother.

She came from a family that values female education. Her father, late Mohammed Lawan, was a respected public servant who became pioneer chief executive officer of the Chad Basin Development Authority. Not surprising that her sisters are not only housewives but also visible in the public service and political circle.

The economic C onfidential gathered that two of her sisters are married to Bukar Abba Ibrahim, former Governor of Yobe State and Ali Madu Sheriff, Governor of Borno state which qualified them to be first ladies in their respective states. In fact Alhaji Bunu Sheriff, a former Minister of Federal Capital Territory also married from the family. Her other sisters Hajiya Amuna Ali was a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum during Obasanjo and Yar’Adua administrations. Added to that is the fact that one of her brothers is a federal legislator who took over from another brother.

Hajia Wabi attended Shehu Garbai Primary School, Maiduguri between 1967 and 1974 before proceeding to Federal Government College, Maiduguri between 1974 and 1979.

In view of her impressive results with distinctions she got admitted into Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, immediately after her secondary. After successful completion of her degree programme, coming out with a second class upper Degree in Accountancy, she did her National Youth Service Corps scheme at CRG Nigeria Limited in Maiduguri.

Destined to succeed in her chosen career, the government of Borno state offered her appointment into the civil service as Accountant in the state Ministry of Finance and Economic Development before moving to Ministry of Works and Housing and later Ministry of land and Survey.

In recognition of her competence and skills in accounting profession, she became Principal Accountant at the National Agricultural Land Development Authority before her promotion to Assistant Chief Accountant and rising to the position of Assistant Director in the same ministry in Borno State. Within a short period of time, she was made Deputy Director and later Director of Finance in the state Ministry of Works and Housing.

It was in 2003 that she became the state Accountant General before reaching the peak of her civil service career in 2007 when she was appointed Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and later Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Borno. In August 2010 President Goodluck Jonathan found her worthy for appointment as a cabinet member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) where she is currently serving as the Finance Minister of State.

Apart from attending several conferences and trainings at home and abroad, Hajia Yabawa was member of some professional bodies and won some laurels. She is member Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria (ICPAN); Member, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) and member of the prestigious National institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos (MNI).

In her new role as Finance Minister of State, she presides at the monthly meeting of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), a body she had been a member while she was Accountant General of Borno State between 2003 and 2007.  She takes delight in reading, cooking and travelling as her major hobbies.