She has just been elected 8th grade class president, was born in Minna, Nigeria and had never visited Florida before coming to North Broward as a residential student. Binta’s native dialect is Yoroba but English is Nigeria’s official language. Yoroba is one of the three main languages spoken in Nigeria, a country where it has been estimated to have anywhere from 100-500 different dialects.

Why did she run for office? “Why not?” she said, “At my old school, I was class president so I figured I would run, and I thought I could make a difference.” She is interested in making the dances livelier.

When asked why she came to NBPS, she said that she thought her parents wanted her to learn to be more independent and to mature. “I am becoming more responsible with money!” she declared, but says that her younger brother, who also attends NB, is still a spendthrift.

Binta says that the weather in South Florida is comparable to that in Nigeria but the food is not. She misses the Nigerian cuisine especially joloff rice and chicken. What she misses most though are her family, friends and pets. Her dog Chloe, a Lhasa Apso, had puppies recently so there are 12 dogs at home as well as 6 peacocks, 8 pigeons and 3 parrots.

When she is not at school, Binta likes hanging out with her friends. She is “in love with soccer”, likes going to parties and dancing. This summer she will go back home. Her family is planning a vacation to Dubai with a possible side trip to London.