Bilkisu Yusuf: 10 years without veteran journalist

It has been 10 years since the death of veteran journalist and former columnist with the Daily Trust, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf. Yet, family members, friends and associates have not got over her unfortunate demise following an accident in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2015. Remembering Hajiya Bilkisu, her husband, Mohammed Mustapha Bintube, said she was a […]

It has been 10 years since the death of veteran journalist and former columnist with the Daily Trust, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf. Yet, family members, friends and associates have not got over her unfortunate demise following an accident in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2015.

Remembering Hajiya Bilkisu, her husband, Mohammed Mustapha Bintube, said she was a very decent, hardworking and humorous intellectual, who lived for God, country and family, and did so without any expectations.

“She served as an adviser and has worked with many former presidents, both during the military and civilian regimes. Her last assignment was as part of the Presidential Advisory Council, which had Ambassador Emeka Anyaoku and other very senior elder statesmen. She died in national service, representing the National Hajj Commission in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“For us in the family, she left a very big void. For me personally, I have lost a very good friend, spouse, playmate and adviser. We will continue to miss her, and God willing, we will reunite with her in heaven. May God give our country peace, progress and prosperity,” he added.

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Sharing her difficulty in coping with her demise, Borno-born activist, Dr Mairo Mandara, said she was the best sister, mentor and confidant to her.

“She was the one person you could always go to discuss your troubles with if you needed her to give you a piece of advice or support. And her approach to life is that ‘everything that happens in life is for a purpose, and because it is for a purpose, there is no need to freak out, worry or be troubled with anything; just keep trying your best,” she said.

She explained that Hajiya Bilkisu was always willing to share money with her, as she had a lot of dependents who lived in her house.

“I don’t know of any one person in my whole life who had the multiple Janaza, the Muslim ritual prayer like Hajiya Bilkisu. She died in Saudi Arabia and was buried there. She had a Janaza in many cities, including Moscow, New York, London and Ghana. I mean, we lost count of the number of places that were doing Janaza for her.

“A lot of us didn’t know the extent of what she was doing in support of others until she died. I remember the day she died, one woman came to the house for Sallah, and when the woman discovered she had died, she collapsed. I think she had to be resuscitated as she started shouting that her life is over because Hajiya was her lifeline.  We discovered so many people she was supporting across the world only after her death.”

She also noted Hajia Bilkisu’s selflessness and forthrightness, no matter what, adding that she kept her distance from friends who ascended to power, which, according to her, was to enable her to tell the fellow the truth.

“The second thing Hajiya never did was to receive awards. There were several things she said no to, and sometimes, she would send me to go and receive them because she said she wanted an award from Allah, not people’s award.

“She has been irreplaceable in my life as no one has been able to fit into her shoes. May Allah in His infinite mercies accept her to the highest level of Al Jannah. Our only hope is that we know for sure that she is in heaven.”

Writing about her in 2015, Ajayi Memaiyetan, who fondly called her Billy, having learnt the art of journalism under his tutelage, said, “Having edited three newspapers – the Sunday Triumph, the New Nigerian and Citizen magazine – she became a civil rights activist, covering gender, Islam, and politics under different non-governmental organisations. She had an impressive run touching lives and has left imprimatur as a women leader. She truly had the capacity to lead. As a great humanist who perished out of human error, Billy will forever live in our hearts. Chario, Cantata. Sleep well, Billy.”

Similarly, a devoted Catholic member of the interfaith movement, Kathleen McGarvey Ola, wrote in 2015 that Bilkisu was a support, a guide, and an advisor.

She said, “I can say without any exaggeration that the Women’s Interfaith Council, which we established in 2010 and of which Bilkisu was a board member, would not have been born, and certainly would not have survived, if it were not for Bilkisu’s presence and support.

“Muslim women in particular believed in her, trusted her, drew strength from her, and were ready to follow her advice and example. The NGO world and the world of religious leaders all knew they had to take her seriously. She was comfortable in all circles, confident in herself, in her religion, in her vision and her beliefs, articulate, knowledgeable, intelligent, unafraid, yet humble and unassuming, convinced and respectful.  She will be sorely missed by people in all quarters, not only for her person but for her influence and her commitment.”

Former presidential adviser and Arewa leader, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, wrote about her passion for the rights of women and the girl child, did not alienate men, adding that she did not offend women, but engaged in discussing the complex relationships of men and women in a social setting where change is both a necessity and anathema.

“Hajiya Bilkisu gave civil society activism respect and dignity at a time and in circles where it had very little influence. She had a unique persona that combined simple yet dignifying humility, but you could not leave any setting where she was present without a strong memory of her,” he said.

Writing on her life, Ado Umar Mohammed said, “Hajiya was a devout Muslim who never allowed anything to prevent her devotion to the service of God and her dedication to the cause of Islam. I can testify to this as I personally observed in 1985 the energy and enthusiasm with which she prepared to attend the conference at which the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) was founded. It was clear evidence of the extent to which the event was close to her heart.”

Hajiya Bilksu was born on December 2, 1952 and was aged 62 when she died in 2015. She was educated at the Ahmadu Bello University, where she studied Political Science. She also attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

She worked with the Kano State Ministry of Information in the late 1970s, she also worked with the Daily Trust and the Leadership newspapers.

She was married to Justice Sanusi Ciroma Yusuf, who passed on and remarried Mohammed Mustapha Bintube. She had two children, Moshood Sanusi Yusuf (son) and Nana Fatima (daughter).