16 In Sokoto, women captains on the rise
In Sokoto, a growing number of women hold sway in many sectors, lessening the gender gap for top office holders in the state. It is indeed an era for women captains with a female minister, commissioners, permanent secretary, directorsgeneral, special advisers, senior special assistant and board members. Only weeks ago, Sokoto got its first female Police Public Relations Officer, Cordelia Nwawe. Many note that the array of females in different fields of endeavour is an encouragement to young ones, that women can rise to enviable heights if given the opportunity.
Aisha Abubakar, the first female minster from Sokoto, is of State, Trade, Industry & Investment. She has over 20 years of experience in banking and investment, rural enterprises development, microcredit administration, business support, and more.
Over the years, Sokoto has maintained at least one female commissioner, that of Women Affairs. However, today there are two, Kulu Abdullahi Sifawa (Women Affairs) and Professor Aisha Madawaki Isah (Basic and Secondary Education). Barrister Aisha Mohammed Dan Tsoho is Permanent Secretary, Women Affairs
There are six female directors-general, including Hajiya Ashatu Hassan Turai (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency), Hauwau Abubakar Mohammed (Tourism Development Agency), Zainab Abu Sani (Sustainable Development), Zubaida Aliyu Haidar (Public Private Partnership), Hajiya Halima Zurmi (Female Education) and Amina Jekada (Parks and Recreation).
Special advisers are Hajiya Imamatu Yusuf (Female Education), Dr. Hafsa Galadima (Human Rights, NGOs and Donor Agencies), and Hajiya Binta Gwadabawa(Adult Education), while Hajiya Aisha Maina is on New Media.
Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Tambuwal on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam said the governor sees women as equal partners in the project of developing Sokoto. “If you give equal opportunities to all members of the society, you’re likely to get the best services delivered,” he said, pointing out that Sokoto has a history of sterling women.
For Dr. Amamatu Yusuf, Special Adviser on Female Education: “The Sokoto State government is very much pro-women.” She said the agency for female education, recently created to take care of the education of females in the state aims to increase enrolment, retention, graduation and transition of all girls in the state to higher institutions of learning.
“It is not surprising, history has shown us that the daughter of Usman Dan Fodiyo, Nana Asmau, who was pioneer in education in Sokoto, had so many roles which included being a
princess, a scholar, a teacher, poet, educator, wife, mother, social reformer and others, so it is really not surprising that women are doing great in Sokoto State.”
Though at present there are no women in elective positions, she said it was because they were not encouraged in the past. “But in this government, if a woman want to vie for any position, she doesn’t have to pay for forms, as a way of encouragement to go for elective positions. Very soon, a lot of women will take a stab at elective positions in the state,” she stated.
Ammatu, who holds a PhD in Educational Psychology said: “I want to see that every girl is given an opportunity to go to school, irrespective of her background, religion and other factors.”
Also, DG Tourism Development Agency, Hajiya Hauwa’u Abubakar Muhammad acknowledged: “Women are now getting more involved in running the affairs of government in the state, unlike in the past. We want to be good role models for our young girls, so they see and emulate us, and the sky would be their limit.”
This man visited 11 hospitals before doctors diagnosed what he was suffering from. Now he lives a trying life. Will it ever end? Nathaniel Bivan
Umar Usman, 40, used to be an agile young man, but everything changed when the wall of his home fell on him. That fateful day in September 26, 1999, their home was being renovated and his attention was taken for just a moment by the presence of children. Distracted, he shooed them away, but then disaster struck when the wall fell on him.
Usman was rushed several hospitals who referred or transferred him to another. He was taken to Zaka Hospital in Taraba State, from where he was sent to a general hospital in Wukari. After eight days, he was advised to go to a hospital in Benue. But Usman didn’t have any money. It was at that point he was told that his legs and back has been affected. Up till then, it was still unknown to all the hospitals he had visited that he had spinal cord injury. At that point he opted for local treatment. This too didn’t help.
The sad adventure continued: Usman was later taken to a general hospital in Katsina State, then Federal Medical Centre in the same state. From there he went to a hospital called Ikon Allah Clinic where he spent 51 days. There, he was given a fresh bill. But he didn’t have money so he returned home. It was at this point he started using a walking frame.
From a hospital in Bauchi, Usman then went to an orthopaedic hospital in Kano, and then Malam Aminu Kano hospital, from where he was finally transferred to Spine Care Hospital in Gwagwalada. After a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and x-ray, which showed that his back bone is broken and pressing against his spinal cord, he was given a bill of N1.1m. This was in March 2017.
“I went to the National Mosque where I showed my medical report, but I didn’t get anything. I went to several radio stations and still didn’t get help,” he said. “After an interview I had with Daily Trust last year, I got N50, 000. Since then no money has come in.”
Usman is soliciting for support from Nigerians to enable him have a surgery so he will cease to suffer daily and hopefully, walk again.
Good Samaritans who may want to offer financial help can do so into the following bank details: Usman’s account details are:
“What bothers me the most is that I never feel the urge to defecate. It simply comes out without warning. I only feel pressed to urinate. Sometimes I go seven days without using the toilet and then unexpectedly, when I go to pee, which I do frequently and painfully, I excrete.