‘Practicing pharmacy with zeal and grace’

Halima Mamman Daura is from Katsina state but was born in Kaduna and grew up there. It was after Kaduna and Katsina separated that she had to change state of origin since her dad hails from Daura. She is the first of six children; five girls and one boy. Her mum, Hajiya Ummu is the daughter of the late Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki (may Allah have mercy on his soul). She was a full time mother and her being around actually helped her become the person she is today. Her paternal granddad was a liberal man and was open to education, both western and Islamic. He made sure all his children went to school, even the girls. She also has a paternal aunty who’s now in her 70s and was a policewoman in her younger days. Educational background I can’t remember but I was told I started nursery at Unique Nursery School in Kaduna. From there, I was moved to Command Children’s School where I started my primary education and then moved to Essence International School in 1983. I finished my primary and secondary school there in 1993. That was the time of the long strike so we wasted two years at home doing nothing. Then I started ABU Zaria after the strike was called off and then the second strike happened. That was when my dad took the decision to send me to the UK where I studied Pharmacy. I undertook a foundation programme first before I got admission to the School of Pharmacy in John Moores University, Liverpool. Career When I came back from the UK after completing my studies, I actually thought I was going to be an academic; my plan was to get a Masters degree, PhD and then teach or lecture. I decided I wasn’t going to work until I got my Masters degree. So I applied to ABU and was given an offer. It was when I went to collect my offer and begin registration that they asked me for my NYSC certificate and I told them I didn’t have it. So because of that, I wasted some time. I graduated from the university in 1998 and completed my internship in 1999. I didn’t do my NYSC until 2002.

I was very lucky that there was a school of Health Technology opposite Kaduna Polytechnic in Kaduna. Back then, if you studied abroad, you could choose where you wanted to serve and I was married and had a baby so I asked to be posted to Kaduna. I taught Pharmacy technicians for a whole year. It was very enjoyable because after that, I was sure about what I wanted to focus on.

After my service year, I enrolled in Kaduna Polytechnic for a postgraduate diploma in Education. I later applied to Kaduna state Ministry of Health and worked in Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital where I was posted and worked there for almost two years.

The reason I studied pharmacy was basically to help people get better when they fall ill. But when I came back, I didn’t feel I was being relevant, as the job wasn’t as challenging as I had expected and I felt I wasn’t making any impact on the lives of people. So one holiday, while in the UK, I applied for some jobs just for fun and to my surprise I was called for an interview. I went for the interview and the following day called me with an offer. I discussed with my husband and parents and they were okay with it. I moved back to the UK and worked with West Suffolk Hospital for almost two years. I wanted to settle there and take my kids with me but after a year or so, we decided it wasn’t the environment we wanted to raise our kids in and it would have been difficult raising them there with no family support so I came back to Nigeria.

I worked as a volunteer in the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) hospital in Kaduna. They didn’t have a pharmacist so I worked for them, upgraded the pharmacy department with an inventory software and also trained the technicians on proper dispensing and counselling techniques. After that, I decided since clinical pharmacy is what it is in Nigeria, I went into Public Health. So I went back to the UK in 2008 and studied for amaster’s degree in Public Health. Before I went, I applied for a job in the Federal Capital Territory Administration in Abuja because my husband had moved to Abuja. By the time I finished my masters programme and came back, there was a job offer waiting for me with FCTA in 2009. So I moved to Abuja and started my new life there. My first posting was to Gwarimpa General Hospital in Life Camp and I worked there for four years. In 2014, I was posted to Abuja Central Medical Stores; this is where the 14 hospitals under the FCTA buy the bulk of their drugs, laboratory reagents, consumables and medical equipment.

Did you always want to be a pharmacist? I knew I wanted to do something that had to do with healthcare. But I talked to my parents about it and you know how parents always want their kids to be doctors but I didn’t really want that. I didn’t and still don’t like the sight of blood. My parents told me that as a child when someone looked sick, I would just say I’ll get them some medicine, because medicine if taken correctly makes you feel better right? I even got admission at the University of Lagos to study Medicine. But I wanted to be in the lab making things to make people feel better. Growing up Being the eldest of six, when I look back, I have to say Alhamdulillah. I grew up privileged because there was nothing we lacked. Even at that we were not spoilt because sometimes we knew something was available but even if we asked sometimes our parents would say no. My father used to always say, “wata rana a sha zuma, wata rana a sha madaci,” which means, some days are sweet, while others are bitter. It molded us to know that it’s not always rosy. It was frustrating being first because you felt everything is blamed on you and it was a big responsibility as I was always aware that my younger siblings were looking up to me. Now I feel honoured to be first born.

Challenges faced as a female pharmacist

The major problem as a woman in my opinion is juggling work and family when you’re married, you’re pregnant or have young children. We run calls when posted to hospitals and that means sleeping in the hospital, so you need to get someone to stay at home with the kids. The maternity leave also isn’t long enough. It’s just three months and you may want to take leave before you give birth. It’s just a lot of challenges trying to balance the home and your work, but there is nothing that determination cannot overcome. You’re the financial secretary of your association. How fun has it been?

Yes, I am the current Financial Secretary of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Abuja Chapter. The experience so far has been very enlightening and I am happy to have had this exposure. It’s funny how it came about because I didn’t see myself as political. I actually showed my intent to run about two weeks before the election after the deadline had been extended. I was tired of sitting and complaining about things not going well in the association. So I was like why can’t I take the next step and do something about it. I then started attending more meetings. After I made my intent to run, I campaigned heavily in the last week and on the day of the election, I won by a landslide.

Has an impact been made?

My speech on the Election Day on what I had to offer as an exco was one that did the trick for me. I just told them what I planned to do if elected. I also wanted to bridge the gap between the old faces on and the young pharmacists coming up.We get a lot of interns coming during their internship year and I have a very good relationship with most of my interns. Just recently, I got a letter from the Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) asking if I could be on their board of advisers and I was so humbled. The YPG is now being represented at PSN monthly general meetings. It’s been fun and challenging because I’m a full time mother, a full-time pharmacist, I have to attend meetings and I also have other projects that I am working on. But Alhamdulillah, so far I have been able to juggle them all successfully. Life lessons One of them has to be it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known a person, it doesn’t prove the person’s loyalty to you. Fond childhood memories Once in a while, our dad would order Chinese food and we’d all sit at the table. These are fond memories for me because it entailed all of us being together with our parents eating, cracking jokes and sharing stories. But now, my siblings and I are hardly all together at the same time. It takes a long while before we are all together in one place at the same time. Joys of motherhood Alhamdulillah, when you see your children grow up and you start to discuss important matters with them, it’s

MY FATHER USED TO

ALWAYS SAY, “WATA RANA A SHA ZUMA, WATA RANA A SHA MADACI,” WHICH MEANS, SOME DAYS ARE SWEET, WHILE OTHERS ARE BITTER

priceless. I have four kids eldest is 17 and youngest is 6. When I see my kids doing well in school and Alhamdulillah, they are well-behaved and healthy, that makes me so grateful to Allah for the gift of motherhood. Most cherished gift My four children from Allah (SAW). I hardly heard my mum sayshe loves me even though I had no doubt whatsoever that she does, so when my kids tell me, “I love you mama.” It’s a really nice feeling. Three fashion accessories I always have on me I’m not really a fashion accessory person. Most times I always have an extra set of earrings in my bag because sometimes I forget to wear them before I leave the house. Best travel destination I like London. I think it’s one of my most visited places because it feels like my second home. Even when we were growing up, we were always going on holiday there. But I like travelling to explore different places and I hope to travel to all the continents in my lifetime.

Last good book I read and how it impacted on me

The last book I read was called ‘His Other Wife’ by Ummu Zakiyya. She’s a black American Muslim revert. It’s a story about polygamy in a Muslim community in the US. It opened my eyes about a lot of things reverts go through especially with their families who do not agree with their decision. Favourite food My favourite food is yam. I loved bread too but I was able to cut it off. But yam, I haven’t been that successful with yam. I can eat fried yam all day, every day. Favourite perfume, bag and shoes My favourite perfume is called Ma Vie by Hugo Boss. I’m not a fashion person like I said, I just see something that I like and if I can afford it I buy. I am one of those people who carry one handbag until it reaches its expiration and then I get a new one. Mum’s advice that stuck with me over the years I loved children. Before I got married, I used to say I wanted 12 children. But after the first labour and childbirth, I cut the number down. My mum gave me one advice after I had my first child and she said, “daga yanzu bacci ya kare. Ba haihuwan ba, rainon.” Meaning the delivery isn’t the hurdle, raising the child is. That’s something I tell my younger ones as advice even before they get married. Forget about sleep, in the middle of the night, that’s when prayers are answered. You need to pray for your children. Try your best to guide them but pray hard to Allah to do the rest.

Advice for young women who aspire to be like me

You need to show commitment and be consistent in your quality of work. Some colleagues used to call me British because I would always come to work on time and whenever I came late, I would write the actual time I came and no one liked to come after me because they would have to admit they came late. There’s one other thing about me, I don’t want to finish without impacting anybody. I like the idea of grooming and showing especially younger ones the right way of doing things. Even if you work with a hundred people and just few people get learn it’s better than nothing. Favourite colour, sport, car, weather Blue is my favourite colour. I enjoy playing lawn tennis. I used to play it in school a lot and I loved horse riding as well. I enjoy swimming too. I like watching golf and tennis. Mercedes C Class is my favourite car, either the C63 or the C400 I also like Range Rover Evoque. I like the weather after it has rained but when it’s not wet. Favourite day of the week Saturday because I get to rest, that is the day I take time off for me. My children know I use the day to go for lunch with my friends, or the salon, just to have some me time and pamper myself so that I am refreshed. Beauty routine Recently, I’ve started spoiling myself. There’s a lady who gives me a massage. I get my nails done with a manicure and pedicure once a month. Role models My parents. They gave us the best that they could. We know relationships cannot be rosy all the time but they we never saw them quarrel. They also led by example. Looking back, what I would tell a younger me Don’t stress, it will soon be over. Whatever it is, it’s never as serious as you think it is. Trust Allah to give you the best and accept things and move on.

One thing your parents have given to me that I still cherish till date

The training they instilled in me, to fear Allah and always be truthful. I cherish the sound education my dad gave my siblings and I and also, his constant support without which I won’t be where I am now. I thank Allah every day that they are my parents. First app I check in the morning/bedtime WhatsApp and then Instagram. Favourite music on replay I don’t have a particular kind of music that I like. For example on my playlist now, you’ll see Davido, Bob Marley, Di’Ja, Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson and Erykah Badu. So it’s very eclectic. Definition of style Comfort. Flats or heels It depends on my mood. But now I’m going through a flats stage.

Advice for working class mothers trying to balance work and family

Shine your eyes especially in this day and age of internet and drug abuse. You have to have an open communication with your children. You have to be approachable to your children. I always tell my children if there is something they can’t talk to me about, they should send me a text message or talk to my sisters or brother. We’re a very close knit family and if you see my younger sister with my kids you would think they are siblings. I try as much as possible to have one on one time with each of my children. We use weekends to bond by watching a movie together or playing monopoly. Sometimes I just go out with one of them and we spend time with each other. You cannot be too strict with these children. If you don’t allow them to do anything and at the end of the day, they will leave you to go to university and be on their own, they’ll use the opportunity to do what they want. You need to loosen the strings little by little and watch how they behave. You can tell if a child is changing if they’re not being themselves or becoming withdrawn. Those are all red flags. Work can’t make you too tired to mind what you’re children are up to.

I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO CARRY ONE HANDBAG UNTIL IT REACHES ITS EXPIRATION AND THEN I GET A NEW ONE