Aishatu Madawaki Quotes

The whole issue of HIV/AIDS was new and it was myself and one Hajara who started creating awareness about it then. We achieved that by going round schools, prison yards and some ministries, to do advocacy and sensitisation exercises and later, we embarked on some training programmes and thereby got some funding from some organisations to work more.

I was part and parcel of the formation of some of the NGOs and also a member of for instance, the Federation of Muslim Women

I was a consultant to UNICEF at a point, to USAID and other international agencies and that was how even the state government got to know me, and got convinced of my ability to really deliver and I was invited to really participate in running the state affairs.

You know it was as a result of my participation with non-governmental organisations (NGO) in the state, that actually brought me out and that was how I even got the recognition of some of the international agencies. That was how government and some international agencies got to know about me and really involved me in their activities.

My parents are enlightened and educated, so in my family right from the first to the last child, we are all exposed to this issue of western life and Islamic education. My father had said if it means spending his last penny he would educate my siblings and I on both western and Islamic education, and he really did keet his promise before he died. So I have all the encouragement from my late father to my husband, friends, brothers and sisters.

Women should be given more space to exercise their rights in the country.

Women in the state would push for the emergence of a woman president in Nigeria in 2019.

Only the emergence of a woman President would end such marginalisation and allow women contribute more meaningfully to national development.

Well, I have said it, it is really encouraging, if you go to our universities now, both state and federal universities, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions, the enrollment of women is really encouraging. They are really going further now.

There are obstacles that are not surmountable, there are also obstacles that are surmountable. So I believe that challenges are good in somebody’s life because challenges build somebody.

If your religion has given you power, opportunity, and the go-ahead to seek knowledge where ever you can get it, then what is limiting you? The only problem is attitudinal and that we have to address and change.

It is not just exposing the girl child to acquire the basic education, but what happens afterwards. Give her skills that would enable her to empower herself, not just acquiring the knowledge. Let the knowledge be there and the knowledge not just the theoretical aspect but let’s have the practical aspect.

If we go by merit we have so many intelligent and determined women who are focused and can deliver any time.

So the issue of relegating women to the background is a thing of the past, women are now fully aware that we are human beings, God created us.

Give her skills that would enable her to empower herself, not just acquiring the knowledge. Let the knowledge be there and the knowledge not just the theoretical aspect but let’s have the practical aspect.