By Zainab Shu’aibu Abdullahi
When a woman is being addressed as a mother, it speaks volumes about her deep well of motherly love, care and affection, the type of which are only extended to a child by its biological mother. The Zamfara State governor’s wife, Her Excellency, Hajiya Aisha Bello Muhammad Matawallen Muradun, is no doubt a mother of all, just as a recent showed.
Life had never been better for widows in the state as when the warm heart of the first lady initiated and surprised them with a cash donation of N30,000 and a package of clothing materials each during a recent event in order empower them and enable them attain sustainable livelihood. She doled out the gifts due to the pity pouring from her motherly heart because of the thought of the trauma they face as a result of losing their spouses, thus fate making the widow to become the family breadwinner. Her Excellency aims to help cushion the numerous hiccups the widows face in life.
In making this humanitarian gesture, Hajiya Aisha explained that the Coronavirus pandemic has worsened the vulnerability of widows and orphans, hence the need for urgent attention. The mother that she is, in her pragmatic tone, she tasked the widows to be strong, determined and never say die in their struggle for survival.
As someone who works closely with her, one can authoritatively report that Hajiya Aisha is not only the First Lady of Zamfara but a person who offers her heart to the flight of the underprivileged in the state in particular and many others across the country in general for succour as an oasis.
It is on record that she always encourages her spouse, the governor, His Excellency, Dr. Bello Muhammad, to intensify the ongoing efforts of his administration to integrate more women into corporate responsibilities. She is satisfied with his effort in the integration of more women into his cabinet and urges him to do more
She has over the years become an endearing personality and a source of inspiration and aspiration to not only those that are working with her but also the vulnerable rural and urban women in the state.
She has also become a mother to many orphans, windows and the disable whom she works round the clock to ensure their welfare, encourage them to prove their ability in disability and face life with the courage that it deserves.
In her usual sense of responsibility, Hajiya Aisha Bello Matawalle urged female workers to be committed to fighting gender-based violence within the mainstream of the civil service. It is her considere view that such violence is a dangerous societal problem that requires the attention of the women elite, particularly those in the civil service, with a view to liberating their fellow women from the discrimination they suffer in the hands of their male counterparts.
She points out that women workers have a very active role to play in the fight against discrimination of the female folk. She believes that until women in the civil service unite to fight a just cause, especially as it relates to discrimination, Nigerian women, particularly in the north, would continue to face difficulty in attaining high positions.
It is on record that she always encourages her spouse, the governor, His Excellency, Dr. Bello Muhammad, to intensify the ongoing efforts of his administration to integrate more women into corporate responsibilities. She is satisfied with his effort in the integration of more women into his cabinet and urges him to do more.
Her advice to husbands in the state is to allow their educated house wives take appointment in the civil service in order to contribute their quota to the development of the state.
Another vital advice she extended to traditional rulers and Islamic scholars is to help in the mobilisation and enlightenment of women and their husbands to always participate in the activities and events that are geared towards improving the welfare and well-being of women in the state.
Therefore, there is no gainsaying the fact that Hajiya Aisha Matawalle is deeply concerned about the status of Nigerian women in general and those in Zamfara in particular. Her consistent intervention is expected to bring dividends to them through education, enlightenment and empowerment.
* Zainab Shu’aibu Abdullahi is the Press Secretary to the Zamfara State First Lady
