Sadiya Murtala is a feminist, a humanitarian, and the founder of WeCan Africa Initiative. A mass communication graduate and a public speaker, she is passionate about girls and women empowerment and leadership. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her work and her organisation.
You are an activist with passion for feminism and humanitarian movements. What inspired this passion in you?
My community and mindset were my greatest motivation to be a feminist and a humanitarian. I grew up in Kano, where I see most decisions being made by men—women hardly participate. I wanted to change that. So, I started asking questions in my community, and I found out two things. One, women are not interested in leadership positions because they have for long been taking instructions from men and are now very comfortable with that. Secondly, they have been perceived by the society as not capable of leading.
My journey as a feminist is born out of my passion to see that women can live fully, make decisions about their lives, body, and health. As a young girl, I wanted to participate in the decision-making process and to empower the women around me. So, I started volunteering for local charity organisations. My volunteering experience provided me with the knowledge and the skills needed to start several empowerment programmes for women and girls in my community.
Briefly tell us why you founded WeCan Africa Initiative, and the impact the initiative is making in the society.
We Can Africa was founded as a result of my passion to live my truth. My truth is service to humanity. I just want to create a world around me where women and young people can live a better and purposeful life. I want to provide women a platform where they can realise themselves, grow and have their voices heard.
We Can, since its inception, has empowered over one thousand women and youths through its several programmes: Women Entrepreneurship Education and Training in 2018; Skill-Up 4Girls in 2019; UN Sustainable Development Goals Action and Awareness in Students in 2020; Community Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: Sensitisation on COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Entrepreneurship Training in 2020; and Finding Your Purpose to Inspire Change in 2021.
What was the last humanitarian work WeCan Africa undertook and why was the work important to its beneficiaries?
The Community Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: Sensitisation on COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Entrepreneurship Training was our last fieldwork. The project was supported by the Centre for Information Technology and Development, MacArthur Foundation, and the International Institute of Education to mitigate the spread and negative impact of the virus, through creating awareness and empowering community women and girls with relevant skills in the production of hand sanitizers and face masks.
The project was launched in 2020, amidst the pandemic. WeCan trained over 30 rural women, aiding them to produce 150 hand sanitizers and 100 face masks, which were distributed to vulnerable traders at a local market in Kano State.
These women, who were once marginalised and financially disadvantaged, have experienced changes in their social status and are now able to support their families and community, particularly in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a lot of their men lost their jobs. This is earning them respect in the society.
One prominent Kano woman activist once said, “To be a woman in northern Nigeria is hard.” Do you agree with this?
To be a woman anywhere is not easy. So, to be a woman in the north is not easy as well. The difficulty that comes with being a woman in the north is that there are fewer women available that can support younger women and their dreams, especially when you are aspiring to be more. For instance, in taking up a leadership position, there are just fewer models or mentors around to coach and support you in your aspiration.
I remember when I started studying at Bayero University, Kano, I had very few women around to support, to mentor and to serve as role models for me. I had very few women to discuss my educational vision with and to inspire me. Having fewer women, who are breaking the glass ceiling in the north, makes it hard for a northern Nigerian woman.
Religion is a tool leaders use to dehumanise women in Kano. If you were the governor of Kano State, how would you change this narrative and protect the rights of women?
One of the most important things I would do is to design programmes that would provide women with developmental opportunities and growth, such as a mentorship, entrepreneurship education and training, scholarship opportunities, among others. I would put women and young girls at the centre of policies and programmes of the state.
You were one of the finalists of the Inspire Africa 2021 The Orators competition. In what ways do you think the mentorship and the experience from the programme would impact your leadership and humanitarian career?
The programme has empowered me with the right skills, knowledge, and strategies for storytelling. I now understand better the power of telling my story, and how to tell stories that communicate and connect with people. With the right story, we can achieve the change we want. Thus, to connect with people, we’ve to tell more stories, and as we tell these stories, we’ve to tell them well.
In the grand finale of The Orators competition, you argued against the motion ‘Feminism has done more harm than good in the society’. What were your major arguments as regarding this motion?
Feminism has always been about the welfare and freedom of women. To understand feminism, one needs to go through history to learn about what true feminism is and to be grounded in the works of older feminists, such as Mrs Funmilayo Ransom-Kuti, who protested in Abeokuta in 1948 against excessive tax collection from market women by the colonial government. Later, these protests became an integral part of the independence movement. Margaret Ekpo was also a fierce advocate for women’s rights and supported equality with men. In the north, such strong figures as Gambo Sawaba, Amina of Zazzau and many others played outstanding roles in the fight for women’s place in the society. These active women’s roles led to the formation of the elite women who focused on charity but could not resist men’s supremacy and anarchy in the society.
In 2015, during the Chibok girl’s abduction, we had feminists like Bukky Shonibare, Aisha Yusufu, among others, who started the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ movement. This was a movement that almost all Nigerians took part in. The movement gained local, national and international attention, as regards the safety of all Nigerians as well as the abducted Chibok girls. Therefore, feminism has always been about the safety of women and the society.
One of the impromptu topics you finalists spoke on was ‘What it means to be a Nigerian’. What were your major responses to this speech?
Being a Nigerian would empower you with the necessary skills to be patient and be hopeful in all situations. This is because, as a Nigerian, you must have come across at least one or two Nigerians who have come out of abject poverty, as a result of hard work, resilience, hope and patience. Being a Nigerian naturally teaches one to be resilience, hard-working, hopeful and patient in all situations.
What do you like doing at your leisure?
At my leisure, I love to watch motivational and inspirational videos by Oprah Winfrey and Iyanla Vantanz. I always want to stay inspired and motivated. By watching motivational videos of great women like Oprah and Iyanla, I get to learn from their stories, I get to understand life better. Most importantly, I get to share such knowledge with young people, in order to inspire them and to get them well prepared to face life challenges.
Which of your many wishes do you want to immediately come to reality?
I want to birth my own child, and to be the kind of mother I’ve always wanted to have. I want to do the things I’ve seen and studied about raising a healthy child.
What kind of Kano would you love to raise your child, and do you think that kind of Kano is possible under the current Kano State government?
I want to raise my child in an enabling environment—the kind of Kano that supports quality education for all sexes—with the availability of developmental and technological opportunities for growth. I want to raise my child in a Kano where women, young girls, and youths can make informed choices about their bodies, health and life.
And yes, this kind of Kano is possible under the current Kano State government.
What advice do you have for young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you?
Ladies, live your truth. The one thing you’ve to always wear well is your confidence. Service to humanity is where true greatness lies. Be a problem solver, not a problem creator.
Ladies, be intentional and willing to be hard-working. Never give up. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Don’t let anyone deem your life. If you want growth, development, love, peace and happiness, you’ve to first be all of that, before you can receive it from the world. Be the change you want in the world.
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