It is not often that I get to write about personalities and their public conducts. Reason: it is generally believed such a writer and the writing carry the ulterior motive of raising money for the belly or the stomach. They get often dismissed as
following the normal pattern of pandering to very familiar but condemnable sentiment of praising for pecunious or material purposes. Survivalism and expediency have become the norm in situations of austerity in which quite a whole lot have found themselves today in the country.
I therefore try to avoid as much as I sense is necessary and achievable applying either the pen or laptop to sing praises and wax dithyrambs in anyone’s honour. Can anyone genuinely contradict me on this? Hardly.
But there are occasions that one loses the war however. One is hard hit when some individuals come up with such conducts that strike as irresistibly compelling as to demand or warrant comments and commendation. The reason to praise becomes even more valourised when the ‘giver’ remains consistent and humble in the giving. If not for the immediate purpose of attracting attention to and upon such uncommon personalities for the notice of the generality of humanity, there is the purpose of commending and recommending such conducts to a few others who need to learn the art of giving and philanthropism.
I mean why will personalities who have displayed sterling performances and have been consistent in offering succour to the helpless and voice to the voiceless be overlooked in newspaper commentaries such as this. It is possible to overlook such deeds when one desires and designs to hide sterling performances and discourage scores others, at least potentially, from copying that which is good. Period. But this is not good. The art of selfless giving and community service is good and deserves to be announced, known and copied. This is fair.
Happily, this is the case on hand. It is the case of Hajia Amina Abubakar Bello, first lady of Niger state. She is not merely educated. She is a medical doctor. She is not just a wife. She is also a mother. Despite being born with a silver spoon, being the daughter of former president, General Abdullsallam Abubakar, Hajia Bello, knows the pains of poverty, especially as it affects the womenfolk, a knowledge which has compelled her to mount several interventions across the entire 25 councils of the state, benefitting at least whole 2000 so far. One therefore feels compelled to share sentiments with many who today call her ‘ Mother in a Million’.
For over two years, Hajia Bello has been offering free medical consultancies for women, using existing State General Hospitals; regarding the Vesico Vagina Fistula (VVF) scourge, Bello disclosed when opening a VVF camp in Bida town, using the platform of her non-government organisation, Raise Foundation, that prolonged natal labour was one of the causes among women in the country. RAiSE has already screened over 2000 women in the state for cervical cancer and recently received the donation of a cryotherapy machine from a leading international NGO. It is used for the treatment of non cancerous lesions of the cervix.
RAiSE which stands for Reproductive Rights, Advocacy, Safe Spaces and Empowerment, has been reversing and remedying lives and returning such affected women to normal sex lives. This is not all that RaiSE does. Hajia Amina, using the NGO to consolidate her moves to deal blows on all manner of afflictions amongst women in the state.
The First Lady, seizing the opportunity of the International Women’s Day has actually levered RAiSE to raise up more women, empowering an intimidating 3000 of them across councils. The lucky number selected across professions at a well attended ceremony at Justice Legbo Kutigi premises in Minna, went home with job kits like sewing, grinding and hairdressing machines, as well as cash gifts running into millions of naira. The ceremony has in attendance, the acting Governor of the state, Alh Mohammed Ketso, Soeaker of the state House of Assembly, Alh Ahmed Guni Marafa and members of the state Executive council.
I also do know that even when she does not bring up such empowerment performances to a public forum, her office at the Governor’s Office in Minna has been a Mecca of sorts for the needy ones, including women, children, and even men. My findings reveal the doors and gates leading into and out of her office have been left open soon after the emergence of her husband, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, as the state governor.
As early as the first week following her husbands assumption of office on 29th May 2015, Dr. Bello swung into action, visiting the female and paediatric wards at the State General Hospital, Minna where she pledged to give her best as a Consultant Gynaecologist.
She gave very emotional words during her visit, saying “My visit is to see how I can contribute to the society. That is what I do. I would like to contribute my own quota, visit some of these women, spend time with them, help with their surgeries and deliveries. I would ensure improvement of standards so as to reduce the death rate, especially the poor who cannot afford private hospital services or foreign medical bills.”
Hajiya Bello is a reputable consultant gynaecologist who has proved her worth in no small measure in the field. According to findings, she had wanted to be a lawyer, but Almighty Allah had designed differently.
Born in 1973 in Benin City, she attended Federal Government Girls College in Bakori, Katsina State, proceeding to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for her basic medical education, MBBS, doing her residency at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH). She has since followed this up with a master’s degree in Public Health from Liverpool University, UK.
Given the stewardship of her husband, Governor Sani Bello, one feels genuinely nudged to commend the complementary moves of Hajia Amina, wishing her many more years of fruitful contribution to humanity. Niger state seems doubly blessed indeed.
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