Hon. Marilyn Dumkelechukwu Okowa-Daramola, is a Legislator, youth advocate and girls empowerment trailblazer. She was elected into the Delta State House of Assembly in March 2023, to represent Ika North-East State Constituency and currently serves as the Chair of the Finance and Appropriation Committee; Deputy Chair, Housing, Women Affairs, Girl Child and Humanitarian Support Services amongst others.
Hon. Daramola who holds a Master’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Lancaster University (2013) and University of Nottingham (2010) respectively, started her Public Service Career as a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor of Delta State on Girl Child Empowerment, where she headed the Girl Child Empowerment Office from July 2019 to March 2022. During her tenure, she pioneered Project GEST – the Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Programme through which at least 1850 young female entrepreneurs in Delta State have been trained, empowered and established. She previously worked in the Central Bank of Nigeria as an Assistant Legal Officer between 2014 and 2018 and before that, as an Associate in reputable law firms in Nigeria.
Her passion for empowering the less privileged led her to establish a non-profit organization, The Marilyn Okowa-Daramola foundation with the overarching objective to alleviate poverty, encourage women enterprise and inspire the young through education. The organisation has so far reached out to at least 3300 children, over 1128 Market women and hundreds of indigent families through its community outreach activities.
Hon. Marilyn Okowa-Daramola is known to be humble, hardworking, dedicated and efficient, with outstanding leadership skills and a goal oriented attitude. She is a very good team player and quite adept at harnessing the potentials of her team to achieve the desired objectives.
As a Legislator, her commitment to service is adequately captured through her slogan – Our People First. She is the Chairman of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, the Vice Chairman of the Housing, Women Affairs, Girl Child & Humanitarian Support Services Committee and a member of several other House commitees where she has continued to perform her duties with exceptional aplomb. In March 2024, a landmark people–oriented bill, designed to protect the rights of people living with disabilities which she sponsored, successfully scaled through third reading at the House. The bill will ensure a future where persons with disability enjoy improved access and opportunities as well as eliminate discrimination.
In September 2024 she sponsored an important bill, recommending vital ammendments to the Child Rights Law of Delta State 2008. The amendment which has successfully scaled through second reading, aims to strengthen the legal framework for child rights in Delta State, by clarifying and enhancing existing provisions, and introducing new ones to ensure more effective implementation and compliance.
Hon. Marilyn has received a number of recognitions and awards including being named one of StateCraft Inc.’s 100 Most Influential Powers behind the State as well as receiving the Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from the Rotary Club of Asaba. She is also the ‘Family Planning Ambassador’ for Delta State endorsing her firm stand that family planning is a fundamental human right and key to empowering young women to make informed choices about their bodies, futures, and families.
Hon. Marilyn is dedicated to causes tailored towards creating opportunities for young women and youths. She leads by example and is an inspiration to many young people. She has also attracted several community development projects and empowerment grants and schemes to her community and constituents. She is an active advocate to increase the number of young people, especially young women, in active politics and elected office. In her free time, she likes planning events and traveling. She is married with two children.
