Francis Sardauna chronicles the strides of the Katsina State Governor’s Wife, Dr. Zakiyya Aminu Masari in ameliorating the suffering of vulnerable children and women in the state through her Women, Youth and Children Improvement Support Initiative
It was jubilation galore for pupils and teachers of Achakwale Primary School, Achakwale community in Baure Local Government Area of Katsina State when the Wife of the state governor, Dr. Zakiyya Aminu Masari provided them with free school uniforms, bags, textbooks, customised caps, mathematical tools, notebooks and other instructional materials worth millions of naira.
Grappling with the stark realities of the economic meltdown and COVID-19 pandemic in the country and its attendant effects on their parents, the 240 pupils who were carefully selected from primary one to four based on their educational needs, could not afford the basic instructional materials.
The primary school established in 1976, is one of the beneficiaries of Zakiyya’s humanitarian and educational sustainability services under her pet project, ‘Women, Youth and Children Improvement Support Initiative (WYCISI)’. The joy of the pupils knew no boundary during the donation because they have been attending the 46-year-old elementary school without the instructional materials.
The WYCISI, inaugurated some years back to cater for the downtrodden in the society, has the objectives of providing qualitative early child education, girl-child education and adult-literacy for the women and the less privileged, empower women and the less privileged in the society, to promote safe motherhood and curb malnutrition among children, rehabilitate street children, abandoned children, orphans and refugee children as well as special care to out-of-school children.
Investigation revealed that poverty remains one of the most obstinate barriers for pupils of the ancient primary school not to obtain learning materials, but the intervention of the governor’s wife will increase enrolment, retention, transition and completion of school among children in the community thereby tackling the scourge of out-of-school in the state.
Donating the learning facilities to the beneficiaries, the governor’s wife lamented that insurgency and COVID-19 have greatly affected education “but we should strive to ensure that our children are well guided and trained through an established school curriculum”.
The “Uwar Marayu” as she is fondly called by those who are familiar with her humanitarian services, admonished traditional, religious, community leaders and philanthropists as well as non-governmental organisations to continue supporting and complementing governments’ efforts towards improving basic education in the state.
She added that the state government under the leadership of Governor Aminu Bello Masari, has embarked on prompt payment of teachers’ salaries, employment and promotion of teachers, construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of school furniture, toilet facilities, water points, learning materials, among others.
According to her, “These gigantic efforts of His Excellency had produced positive results in the number of students that finish schools with flying colours and can successfully defend their results”.
One of the beneficiaries, Salisu Abdullahi, said: “I was enrolled in this school in 2019 but up to now I don’t have uniform, textbooks and school sandals because my parents couldn’t afford them for me. But today, I have a brand new school bag loaded with instructional materials. We thank Her Excellency for supporting our education”.
The primary 4 pupil, who was visibly overwhelmed by the gesture, challenged parents to prioritise the education of their children by providing them with all the needed learning apparatus for efficient and effective learning to thrive in the state, especially at the grassroot level.
On her part, Aisha Jamilu, a primary 3 pupil, said: ”I am happy today because of the learning facilities given to me by Her Excellency. May Allah bless her and her family members. I will take proper care of my new school bag, notebooks, Hijab and other items”.
The Headmaster of the School, Sani Badamasi, noted that the disbursement of the learning facilities to the pupils was the first of its kind since the establishment of the school in 1976, urging community leaders and philanthropists in the state to emulate Dr. Zakiyya’s quest of revamping the education sector.
According to him, “Her excellency’s commitment to education in Katsina State has been highly commendable and is one to be emulated by other state governor’s wives to achieve a total educational overhaul in Nigeria”, he added.
As party of the governor’s wife effort of transforming and enhancing the society through empowerment and touching the lives of the most vulnerable class to be role models, the ‘Uwar Marayu’ has equally donated the sum of N1,000,000 to 100 orphans, widows and other vulnerable women to boost their businesses in Dutsi Local Government Area of the state.
Dr. Zakiyya Aminu Masari has also been providing free treatment and drugs to sickle cell patients across the state in order to reduce and tackle the hardship afflicting them. She has made conquering SCD in the state a top priority and she is leading efforts to translate research into cutting-edge therapies and cures, increase access to care, educate healthcare providers, and encourage policymakers to make strides in universal screening and care efforts.
The governor’s wife has amplified the voice of the SCD community, promoted awareness, and improved outcomes for individuals with the disease. She is equally focused on promoting clinical care, training, and advocacy while providing a platform to encourage stakeholders to work together to develop and implement important projects and activities that will ultimately help and improve outcomes for sickle cell patients in the state.
She has so far elevated the lives of over 7,000 sickle cell anemia patients through the provision of free drugs to them in Daura, Dutsi and Ingawa Local Governments’ SCD centres.
Suffice to say that Dr. Zakiyya Masari has over the years been committed to alleviating and putting smiles on the faces of thousands of sickle cell anemia patients, less privileged, widows, orphans and vulnerable women in the state, particularly those living in rural communities.
It is a well-known fact that the state of widowhood is worsened by situations of poverty and lack of access to services and resources. Widows, vulnerable women, orphans, less privileged and unemployed youths across the country, irrespective of ethnic groups, religious or political affiliations are among the most vulnerable and destitute people in the society today.
In a bid to eradicate the age-long scenario, the governor’s wife embarked on programmes aimed at cushioning the predicament bedeviling them. Such programmes include provision of skills acquisition, training for the less privileged women, youth and children, offering of grant, provision of bursary and scholarship to boys and girls, mostly orphans within the Daura senatorial zone of the state.
Notable among them is the distribution of 600 sewing and grinding machines to women and unemployed youths in Bindawa, Mani, Daura, Mai’Adua and Dutsi Local Government Areas of the state.
She equally distributed N10,000 and N50,000 each as start-up capital to vulnerable women and orphans in 12 local governments under Daura senatorial zone after a one-week training on entrepreneurial skills and business development.
Similarly, the governor’s wife donated 50 tricycles to some selected youths across Dutsi, Daura and Ingawa Local Government Areas and renovated general hospitals Ingawa, Dutsi and Mani. While in collaboration with Bruder Hilfe Foundation, Dr. Zakiyya Masari also donated 80 hand-driven tricycles to persons with physical disabilities selected across the 12 local government areas in Daura senatorial zone of the state.
While presenting the tricycles to the beneficiaries in Daura, she lamented the spate of hardship afflicting persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the country, particularly those living in rural communities and admonished philanthropists to contribute their quota in assuaging challenges bedeviling them.
She said the gesture done through her pet project, Women Youths and Children Improvement Support Initiative, is aimed at transforming and alleviating the plight confronting vulnerable people, especially persons with disabilities in the society.
She, therefore reiterated her readiness to work with development partners and corporate organisations within and outside the country in the areas of women, children and youths empowerment for the betterment of vulnerable households in the state. The tricycles, according to her, would go a long way in assisting the beneficiaries in finding their means of livelihood and urged them to make judicious use of the items.
She said: “It is my hope to transform and enhance the society through empowerment and touching the lives of the most vulnerable class to be role models. I sincerely hope that this class will one day serve as role models, by making positive impact and meaningful contributions to societal development.
“It is my belief that the mobility carts (tricycles) would no doubt give a helping hand to the beneficiaries who have physical disability to enable them to move around, discover their environment as well as find means of livelihood like any other person”.
These notable humanitarian projects and services rendered to vulnerable women, orphans, persons with disabilities, widows, unemployed youths and other developmental projects Dr. Zakiyya Masari executed in communities across the state have earned her different prestigious awards from reputable institutions and organisations, including the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
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“The gesture done through her pet project, Women Youths and Children Improvement Support Initiative, is aimed at transforming and alleviating the plight confronting vulnerable people, especially persons with disabilities in the society”
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