Aishatu Madawaki Isah, (born 1951) is a
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
academic and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. She is the first female professor from the old
Sokoto caliphate states (comprising present-day
Sokoto State
Sokoto State (Hausa: Jihar Sokoto Fula: Leydi Sokoto 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤧𞤮𞥅𞤳𞤮𞥅𞤼𞤮𞥅) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country on the national border with the Niger, Republic o ...
,
Zamfara State
Zamfara (Hausa: Jihar Zamfara Fula: Leydi Zamfara 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤶𞤢𞤥𞤬𞤢𞤪𞤢) is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current Governor is Bello Matawalle. Until 1996, the area was ...
and
Kebbi State
Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆ðž¤) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while ...
), an Islamic dominated region in
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...
. In 1999, she was made commissioner for women affairs and social development by
Attahiru Bafarawa
Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (born 4 November 1954) is a Nigerian politician who was the executive governor of Sokoto State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.
Early career
He was a local government councillor in charge of Education ...
-led administration. Madawaki is also an advocate for the representation of Nigerian women in politics.
Early life and education
Born in
Gusau
The city of Gusau, located in northwestern Nigeria, is the capital of Zamfara State. It is also the name of the state's Local Government Area (LGA), which has an area of ² and a population of 383,162 as of the 2006 census.
The area's postal ...
, Madawaki had her primary education in Sarkin Kudu Primary School. She proceeded to Government Girls Secondary School, Kotarkoshi for her secondary school. She obtained her National Certificate in Education from College of Education, Sokoto (renamed
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...
College of Education). After her program in the school, she began lecturing educational psychology at the institution. She got her master's degree from
Usmanu Danfodio University
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), also known as UDUSOK, is a public research university located in the city of Sokoto, north western Part of Nigeria. It is one of the initial twelve universities founded in Nigeria by the federal govern ...
, then her doctorate from
Bayero University
The Bayero University Kano (BUK) is a university situated in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1975, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded from University College to University. It is the first university in ...
.
Madawaki is the first female professor in old
Sokoto
Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...
State, comprising three states in present-day
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, NaìjÃrÃyà , yo, Nà ìjÃrÃà , pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
Political career
Madawaki was made commissioner for women affairs and social development to the government of
Attahiru Bafarawa
Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (born 4 November 1954) is a Nigerian politician who was the executive governor of Sokoto State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.
Early career
He was a local government councillor in charge of Education ...
between 1999 and 2003. Other roles she played in statewide capacities includes chairperson,
Teachers Service board (2004–2007). In federal capacity, she was appointed member, Presidential Technical Committee on Housing and Urban Development between 2002 and 2004; member, Presidential Technical Board Federal Mortgage Bank, Abuja (2004–2007), and member, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Abuja (2008–2012).
In 2014, she was selected as a delegate representing Sokoto State in the sovereign national conference, an initiative of President
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...
on finding lasting solutions to issues that arises in the co-habitation of Nigerians.
In 2017, she organized a peaceful protest in
Sokoto State
Sokoto State (Hausa: Jihar Sokoto Fula: Leydi Sokoto 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤧𞤮𞥅𞤳𞤮𞥅𞤼𞤮𞥅) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country on the national border with the Niger, Republic o ...
that called for a woman president in Nigeria and pushed for more representation of women within the state. This caused government officials in the state to reiterate their commitment towards gender equity in the state.
In January 2018, she was made commissioner for basic and secondary education for
Sokoto State
Sokoto State (Hausa: Jihar Sokoto Fula: Leydi Sokoto 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤧𞤮𞥅𞤳𞤮𞥅𞤼𞤮𞥅) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country on the national border with the Niger, Republic o ...
by Governor
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (born 10 January 1966) is a Nigerian politician who serves as the Governor of Sokoto State in Nigeria, having won election during the 2015 general elections and re-elected in the 2019 general elections. Tambuwal is a member ...
. In April 2018, along with the 24 other commissioners in the state, she was sacked by the government in what was termed by her employers as "restructuring and re-strategizing the cabinet for optimum efficiency and service delivery to the people of State".
Speaking on under age marriage among Northern women, Madawaki explained that she is more concerned about the orientation of the family of the girls as she was also married quite early but her parents knew the value of education and it didn't deter her from furthering it.
In an interview published by a newspaper, Madawaki commented that marginalization of women in any form should be eradicated from the human space. Further stating that even though the dictates of a person's religion supersedes gender unification, women should not be viewed as being below men, because if given equal opportunities in certain aspects of life, they may even perform better than the male counterparts. She decried tribalism and favouritism in the Nigerian political and societal space as also being responsible for gender segmentation in Nigeria.
Madawaki is a recipient of national honours,
MFR and OFR.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madawaki, Aishatu
Nigerian psychologists
Nigerian women psychologists
Nigerian women academics
Politicians from Sokoto State
Living people
1951 births
Bayero University Kano alumni
Academic staff of Usmanu Danfodiyo University
Usmanu Danfodiyo University alumni
Nigerian women activists
Nigerian women in politics
People from Zamfara State