Leadership (Abuja)
Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf
28 August 2008
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The Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) held its 23rd Annual National Conference from August 21- 24 2008 in Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate. The conference was attended by over 1,000 delegates from all the states of the federation.
Since it was established in 1985, the federation has been organising these conferences and workshops which rotate between the Northern and Southern parts of the country. The event is a grassroots affair with delegates drawn from various states and local governments. The conference papers, although delivered in English are always translated into Hausa and Yoruba. All the members from the South East branches speak English which eased the task of translating into Igbo for the conference organisers. The activities began on Thursday with a spiritual and social night that featured a Quranic recitation competition in which award wining female reciters participated.
This year the theme of the conference was: Revival and Reform in the Sokoto Caliphate and Its relevance to Present Time. The opening ceremony which was held at the Trade Fair Complex was attended by the delegates and dignitaries from state and federal levels. The Sokoto State Governor Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko was represented by the Commissioner, Ministry for Religious Affairs, His eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar was the royal father of the day while the former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari who was out of the country for an important affair, was the Chairman of the occasion. He was represented by Professor Abubakar Gwandu, former Vice Chancellor of Usman Danfodio University Sokoto and also the former chairman of the National Pilgrims Commission. The First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua was represented by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Saudatu Usman Bungudu. The wives of the Governors of Adamawa and Kaduna States, Hajiya Asmau Nyako and Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo also attended, while the wife of the Zamfara State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Mahmud Shinkafi presented an address.
The National Amirah of FOMWAN, Dr Lateefah Durosinmi in her welcome address, expressed gratitude to Allah for guiding the federation since its establishment twenty three years ago. She shared the vision of FOMWAN with the audience. The federation envisions a world where women are totally empowered to be role models in making positive impact in religious and general matters. The mission is to propagate Islam through da'awah, establishment of educational institutions and other outreach activities. Another of its mission is also to improve the socio economic status of the populace especially women, youth, and children through training, provision of qualitative education, health and human services, micro-credit schemes and advocacy.
The federation has come a long way since its establishment in Minna in 1985. Dr Lateefah Durosinmi listed some of the achievements of FOMWAN which include establishment of state chapters in 36 states and also the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, over 1,000 affiliate organisations, 554 local government chapters, over 100 model nursery, primary and secondary schools, five hospitals and three orphanages, over 200 islamiyyah /Qur'anic schools and adult literacy centres and many income generation projects across the country. Without dictating to states on which projects to engage in, but providing guidelines to state chapters, the federation's National Executive Council which holds quarterly meetings at the headquarters in Abuja has been able to serve as a networking and policy development body. FOMWAN has been able to catalyse the establishment of similar associations in other West African
countries. Ghana (FOMWAG), Liberia (FOMWAL), Gambia (FOMWAGA), Sierra Leone (FOMWASL), and Mauritius (FOMWAM).It has also reached out to the Muslim Women in Niger Republic. Indeed nineteen delegates from Niamey in Niger attended the Sokoto conference.
Since its inception, FOMWAN has been making input into policy through partnership with governments at all levels, thereby earning it an official stakeholder status in the government's Universal Basic Education (UBE), the Nomadic Education Programmes and at the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE). FOMWAN is a member of the Civil Society Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA). Various branches are also networking and collaborating with Islamic organisations and other NGOs in the implementation of various programmes .Among these are education, provision of integrated maternal health services in its hospitals, campaigns for promoting reproductive healthcare, reduction of maternal and child mortality and HIV/AIDS, rehabilitation of almajirai and refugee children. The federation generates its funding from membership dues, sale of publications, donations and grants from development partners, and the zakat from the Muslim community. As a step to preventing donor dependency and ensuring self reliance and sustainability of its projects, the federation in its first ten years did not receive grants from donors and sorely funded its activities by generating the required resources locally. Indeed several states displayed and sold their publications and products at the conference.
FOMWAN's strength lies in its corp of dedicated volunteers at all levels, who readily sacrifice their time to promote the federation's vision and mission, pay their way to attend meetings and embark on fundraising to sustain its activities. The federation also draws its strength from its culture of assigning responsibility to various Standing Committees which coordinate projects and other activities. There is also respect for organisational history. Some of the founding members who were at various times the federation's National Amirah have remained with the organisation and are still contributing to its development in various ways. Among them are the first Amirah Hajiya Aisha Lemu who is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, the second, Alhaja Lateefah Okunnu, Chairperson of the Education Committee, the third, Hajiya Saadiya Omar, Coordinator of the North West Zone, the fourth, Alhaja Khairat Saddique, currently the Coordinator of North Central Zone and the fifth, my humble self as the Chairperson of Projects and International Relations Committee. Equally important to the success recorded by the organisation is the support it receives from Muslim men, particularly the husbands who not only support their wives and allow them to volunteer their time to participate in FOMWAN activities but also donate to the federation and readily honour invitations to attend the federation's activities. We often refer to them as our FOMMEN - the Federation of Muslim Men. They are advocates for the right of women to strengthen their faith, organise and offer service to the community. Their support was critical in those formative years of the organisation when some male critics used to say that it was not the duty of Muslim women to engage in such activities where there were capable men to undertake such assignments. We drew their attention to the fact that Islam enjoins men and women to all contribute to societal development in their various ways and women were in a better position to design and implement their own community outreach project. Some of the men who supported us were identified as hen pecked husbands who allowed their wives too much freedom to stray into male domain. FOMWAN's achievements and the support it continues to attract from a broad spectrum of the Muslim community have underscored its relevance in daawah activities.
His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto in his address welcomed participants to Sokoto and commended FOMWAN for its activities particularly its education programme. He urged Muslim communities to respond to the development needs of their communities through initiating health, education and empowerment programmes. He also urged them to take action to reduce the high rate of maternal mortality in the country, particularly in Muslim communities where it is higher, by enlightening the people on the need for women to utilise modern health facilities.
In his speech, the Guest Speaker, Professor Abubakar Gwandu, traced the history of the introduction of Islam to Northern Nigeria and Kanem Borno in particular in the early part of the 11th century. He listed the first Hausa rulers in Kano and Katsina who made Islam the state religion in the 14th century and how the religion spread into Hausaland. He highlighted the events that led to the establishment of Sokoto Caliphate in 1803, the hostility Shehu Usman Fodio faced in his attempt to reform Islam which had been mixed with heathen practices by the rulers of Hausaland. Professor Gwandu underscored the need to promote the education of the Ummah because that was the legacy the Shehu left for the people. He said education was a priority so after establishing the caliphate's administrative structure, the Shehu withdrew from public life and devoted his time to teaching and writing leaving the administration of the Caliphate to his brother Sheikh Abdullahi of Gwandu and his son Sultan Muhammad Bello. The three of them also wrote extensively on political, administrative and socio economic issues for the guidance of the ummah. The paper highlighted the Shehu's writings and activities in support of the right of women to acquire education and impart it to all.
On the political dispensation of the Caliphate, Professor Gwandu said the Caliphate under Sultans Bello and Abdullah was governed with piety and equity. There was zero tolerance for corruption and elections and appointments were based on merit. Qualifications for appointment to leadership positions were based on educational qualification, honesty, integrity, fear of God and ability to deliver. There was no lobbying and campaign for public office. He regretted that the legacy bequeathed to us by the leaders of the Sokoto Caliphate had been jettisoned and pervasive corruption has become the order of the day.
After the opening ceremony, delegates returned to the Sultan Maccido Islamic Center for salatul juma'ah, the friday congregational prayer and the afternoon session. One of the papers titled Nana Asmau: A model for Muslim Women was presented by Malama Sa'adiya Umar Bello of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. In her paper, she gave a brief history of Nana Asmau's birth and details of her educational and community activities. Born in Degel in 1793 in the present northern Sokoto state, Nana Asmau was the eleventh daughter of her mother Maimuna, who was the senior wife of the Shehu and also his first cousin. Nana Asmau lost her mother at an early age and was brought up by her father and her two step mothers Aishatu and Hauwa. She acquired most of her education from the three and later continued her education when she was married to Waziri Gidado Dan Laima. The Shehu was not only an advocate for women's education but also showed an example by educating all women of his household who were also teachers. Nana Asmau became a shining example of what education can do in transforming the lives of women. She was a teacher, administrator, and a linguist. She spoke and wrote fifty five original works in four languages, Hausa, Fulfulde, Arabic and Tamashek, a Berber language. Nana Asmau made input into policy. She was her father's unofficial ambassador who used to communicate with scholars and heads of Islamic states on issues of Islamic jurisprudence. Her views were grounded in knowledge and were well respected. As a community worker, she established a women's educational NGO known as Yan Taru which still exists in Sokoto today. Members of the Yan Taru led by their Jaji (leader) used to come to Asmau from the rural areas to study. They were invited by FOMWAN to participate at the opening ceremony. A member of the Organising Committee told me that when they extended an invitation to a planning meeting in Sokoto to the Yan Taru, the members organised themselves and filled six buses before they were told that it was just a planning meeting in preparation for the conference. They came to the opening ceremony with two of their leaders Jaji who wore sun hats made from straw, Malafa over their head scarves and sang some religious songs dating back to Asmau's era. The FOMWAN members are the contemporary equivalent of the Yan Taru with a wider geographic spread, broader mission and cultural diversity and the same sense of commitment to voluntary service. I was moved seeing those women with their sense of dedication, taxing themselves to do community work and wished all Muslim groups will share their dedication to Islam.
Seven papers were presented during the simultaneous sessions the following day and one had difficulty making a choice of which one to attend because the topics were quite interesting. One of the other papers presented was titled: Intellectual Contributions of the Sokoto Caliphate Scholars and its Relevance to Educational Reforms in Nigeria presented by Professor Ruqayyah Rufai, the Commissioner for Education Jigawa State. Professor M.A. Bidmos presented a paper titled Social Welfare System in Islam: The Sokoto Caliphate Example .Other papers presented were, the Spiritual Dimensions of Sheikh Uthman Bin Fodio's Reform System presented by Sheikh Muhammad Bin Uthman, Political Reform System of Sheikh Usman Ibn Fodio by Dr. Usman Bugaje which was read on his behalf by Dr Siraj AbdulKarim, Promotion of Healthcare in the Sokoto Caliphate by Dr Hadiza Galadanchi and The Socio-Economic Strategies of the Sokoto Caliphate: Lessons for Nigeria by Professor Amin S Mikailu. The federation is planning to publish the proceedings of this historic conference book.
In the communiqué issued at the end of the conference, delegates recalled with pride the role the Sokoto caliphate played in the spiritual, socio-economic, political and cultural development of the country. It paid tribute to the founders and other leaders of the Caliphate. The federation called on the government to increase the budgetary allocation to education which is the basic foundation for the development of any society. The communiqué lamented low level of education of girl children and called on government to make it a priority so that the legacy of female education bequeathed by role models like Nana Asmau will be resuscitated. The communiqué noted that good governance is critical to development and urged the government to focus on poverty eradication, renew the war on corruption and enthrone accountability and transparency in governance.
Delegates who arrived earlier were able to take time off to visit some historic sites in and around Sokoto such as the Hubbaren Shehu- the tomb of Sheikh Usman Fodio, Nana Asmau, Sultan Muhammad Bello at Wurno and the State History and Culture Bureau where relics from the Caliphate were preserved.
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