Meet The First SAN From Katsina State, Mrs. Safiya Umar Badamasi

Safiya Umar Badamasi is not only the first Hausa/Fulani Muslim
woman to become Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, but also the first
lawyer to attain the exalted bar position in whole Katsina
State.

Mrs. Badamasi is among the 117 lawyers who applied for the top
rank this year. She made the shortlist of 80 and was finally
selected among the 38 lawyers to be conferred with the title this
year.

In an interview with our correspondent, Mrs Badamasi expressed
joy for blazing a new trail in girl-child education in the Muslim
North.

Asked about her motivation, she said: “My guidance and
counselling teacher was the one who motivated me. I was good in
History and Literature in secondary school, so they advised me to
study Law.”

She said being the first SAN in her state, she will remain in
Katsina to groom, motivate and inspire young lawyers.

“I will rather stay in Katsina to promote my state and groom
young lawyers than go elsewhere because money,” she said.

Born on June 12, 1968 at Malumfashi town of Katsina State, the
erudite lawyer rose through the rank to become the Solicitor
General/Permanent Secretary of the Katsina State Ministry of
Justice in November 2018.

She began her primary education at Aya Primary School, Funtua
and obtained Primary School Leaving Certificate in 1980.

She then proceeded to FGCC Bakori, Katsina State between 1981 to
1985. In 1985 she commenced the study of law in the then Kaduna
State College of Legal and Islamic Studies, now Hassan Usman
Katsina State Polytechnic and obtained a Diploma in Law in
1987.

She attended Bayero University Kano between 1991 and 1995, where
she obtained LL.B (Hons). She proceeded to Nigerian Law School and
was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1998.

Mrs Badamasi began her working career with Katsina Ministry of
Commerce and Tourism briefly between 1989 and 1990 as Assistant
Tourism Officer.

She later transferred her services to Katsina State Ministry of
Justice where she rose from Litigation Officer to her current
position of Permanent Secretary/Solicitor-General.

Before becoming the Solicitor-General, she was Director of
Public Prosecution, DPP, Katsina State between 2007 and 2018.

She has to her credit four Supreme Court judgments as well as
may Court of Appeal and High Court judgments.

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!