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 Daily Nigerian not TheNigerialawyer, 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.