Women Centre

How is the empowered women seen in the Sokoto?

State government responsibility:
First the government should encourage the empowerment of women and absorb those few empowered to serve as role model to others. But when the government is not doing enough in this, those empowered women can hardly be seen or be heard.

The Mustapha foundation cannot by itself do all this. We seek the support of the government of Sokoto State to increase the numbers of women in the policy making of the state; support and encourage the formation of ‘’women associations’’.

The Sokoto state governments should establish clear legislative frameworks for protecting the rights of women. This should be combined with advocacy and education to challenge deep-rooted cultural norms and practices which underlie gender discrimination.

Other recommendations include providing targeted support to women entrepreneurs managing small and micro-enterprises to enable them to expand into the formal sector; creating investment funds for women; and promoting gender-sensitive legislation on family rights.

Under the current political administration of Alh. (Dr.) Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sarkin Yamman Sokoto)—The Executive Governor of Sokoto State; out of the 22 members of the state executive councils, 30 members of the state house of assembly, 26 members of special advisers to the government; 23 members of local government chairmen, 14 members of the national & house of assembly representatives; totaling a wooping figure of  115 members only 2 are women (Hajiya Kuluwa Abubakar Nuhu--Hon. Commissioner of Women Affairs and Dr. Kulu Haruna Abubakar--Special Adviser, Ecological and relief Matters).

This only amount to 1.7% in a state of over 3.5 million habitants where women account to be half the population yet their representations in the policy making of the state is so low. We call on the government to do more and more cannot be done without the government itself leading others by example as previously proposed.

This has negatively affected the empowered woman presence in the society. How is she seen in Sokoto state? Very odd as if she is from another planet. Gender equality in various responsibilities is advocated in Islam.

Even our women have a role to play to ensure their empowerment & not sit idle aback. They need to start believing in themselves and realize that they can equally be as competent as their male counterparts in their areas, compete with them and not wait for automatic appointments.