The lot of Jigawa women
As soon as he was sworn in, Lamido quickly convened the Talakawa summit in Dutse where the people actively participated and gave their inputs into the policy direction of government. It is on record that Lamido is the first and only state governor in Nigeria to institute the payment of N7000 social security allowance to […]
As soon as he was sworn in, Lamido quickly convened the Talakawa summit in Dutse where the people actively participated and gave their inputs into the policy direction of government. It is on record that Lamido is the first and only state governor in Nigeria to institute the payment of N7000 social security allowance to People with Disabilities (PWDS) to dissuade them from street begging and his administration also provided lots of skill training to the people of Jigawa to emancipate them from poverty. Jigawa State under Lamido introduced Community Based Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme to complement the monthly social security allowances to the PWDs so that they could be gainfully employed through the skill training they acquire.
This is not to say that there were no challenges, and the biggest challenge faced by women in Jigawa is health care delivery. Before 2007, statistics from Jigawa State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development shows that in every 100,000 birth, 2,000 women die. One of the most comprehensive intervention programmes to curb this ugly trend is the establishment of the Safe Motherhood Initiative Demand (Haihuwa Lafiya) by the Lamido administration. This was purposely designed by the government to reduce the high maternal mortality rate among rural communities in the state. Through the instrumentality of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Haihuwa Lafiya initiative established 353 Save Motherhood Initiative Demand Communities in the state with 71 operational emergency vehicles to convey pregnant women from the hard-to-reach communities to the nearest health facilities. This initiative reduced maternal mortality among the rural communities in the state in the last seven years.
To complement the Save Motherhood Programme the government also introduced free health care services to nursing mothers and their children throughout the state. The feat recorded by the government in this direction has been aknowledged by development partners especially the UK’s Department For International Development (DFID) which gave N500 million hospital equipment and consumables to the state in recognition of the achievement of the government in child and maternal health. The state’s fight against six childhood killer-diseases in Jigawa is reported to be making positive impact.
To boost and sustain manpower in the health sector, Governor Lamido established the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Birnin Kudu, Lamido’s LGA. There is also the School of Health Technology, Jahun saddled with the responsibility of providing mid level manpower for the health sector
You cannot emancipate women without emancipating the girl-child.With this in mind, the free girl-child education policy from primary school to tertiary institutions has doubled the enrolment of girls in schools in Jigawa. The mass literacy programme targeted at the womenfolk has reduced ignorance among the women above school age. In all these, Lamido has uniquely implemented the hadith of the Prophet (SAW), which says that when you educate a woman you educate a nation, but when you educate a man you educate one person.
One other critical area of women development is economic empowerment. The Lamido administration has provided skill training to thousands of women in tailoring and embroidery, computer training, catering and hotel management, production of soap and detergents, among others. The state government established the Jigawa Loan for Women Entrepreneurship and in the last six years over N76 million has been disbursed to women groups across the state to purse various businesses.
I am a beneficiary of the pioneering effort of the Jigawa State government in the Alternative Energy Funds scheme through which 70,000 improved wood stoves were fabricated and distributed free to women in the state to serve the double purpose of reducing hardship among women as well reduce cutting down of trees in the state. This is a wonderful effort taking into cognizance the vulnerability of Jigawa to desertification.
In political empowerment of women Jigawa, Governor Lamido has written in his name in gold as a champion of women participation in politics by nominating the then Minister of Education Professor Ruqayya Ahmad Rufai, as a minister of the Federal Republic. Jigawa women remain eternally grateful for that honor and recognition. It is a clear testimony to the fact that Lamido believes in the capacity of women to deliver. Apart from appointments, Lamido gave women the chances to participate in grassroot politics. Today there are over 30 women councilors in the state. This is in addition to women commissioners, permanent secretaries, directors-general and special advisers, to mention but a few.
The last seven years of Lamido’s administration in Jigawa could be described as the golden years of women as responsible citizen of the state. Perhaps this may explain why they always turn out en mass anytime the governor is holding a public function. For Jigawa women, Lamido has proven to be a savior. We shall continue to recognize the contribution he made to uplift our status in the state and we shall respond to his call to duty anytime such occasion arises.
Hauwa wrote in from No. 140, Kofar Kudu, Kazaure, Kazaure LGA, Jigawa State.