Aisha Somtochukwu Yesufu, popularly known as Aisha Yesufu. She is a Nigerian entrepreneur and activist.
Aisha Somtochukwu Yesufu was born in Kano on December 12, 1973. Though she was raised in Kano, she hails from Agbede in Edo state. She is the eldest of five children. According to her, she experienced some difficulties growing up as a girl in such a patriarchal culture. As at the time she was 11 years, she had no female friends as most of her friends were already married or dead through childbirth. She got married at the age of 24, when most of her friends were already grandmothers. While growing up, she loved reading. And this exposed her to the fact that there was a life more than what she knew, and she wished to experience such life.
In 1991, due to her gender, Aisha was denied admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy. She later graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Bayero University. She went into business afterwards.
Aisha who took part in lots of protests while in school was one of the founders of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which spreads awareness of the April 14, 2014, kidnapping of over 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram. She caught the attention of Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, the former first ladies of the United States, who frequently tweeted the phrase “Bring Back Our Girls.” She was also a vital part of the EndSARS anti-police brutality movement in Nigeria.
Yesufu is currently one of Nigeria’s wealthiest activists. She was selected as one of the 100 Women to Watch in 2020 by the BBC. She was also listed among the Top 100 Most Influential Africans in 2020 by New African magazine.
Aisha Yesufu got married to Aliu when she was 24 years old, and they both have two children.