Laila DogonYaro: Exit of Arewa’s female titan

Until her death, Laila DogonYaro was the Garkuwar Garki, a traditional title conferred on her by the Emir of Gumel, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammad Sani. She was also closely associated with Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa (JMA). She fought against poverty especially among the rural women through the JMA. She also helped greatly in sensitizing rural women as well as empowering them economically especially through various skills acquisition programmes. The deceased, Weekly Trust gathered, was also a promoter of girls’ education and she single-handedly built a private girls’ school in her hometown, Garki in Jigawa State.

The school, Weekly Trust observed, was yet to be commissioned even though the deceased had completed the project.

The renowned philanthropist and women rights activist attended Saint Louis Primary School, Kano and got admission into the Ilorin Secondary School but could not further her education due to the Northern culture on girls’ education. Late DogonYaro married Alhaji Ahmed Gusau at the age of 13. Her daughter, Hajiya Amina DogonYaro attested: “I’m blessed to be born of a woman like her. I am also grateful to have learnt at her feet.”

“My mother was a good teacher. As her daughter, I have learnt lots of lessons from her and Alhamdu Lillah I am benefiting,” said Amina. She added that Nigeria needs somebody like her with selfless service to humanity.

Late DogonYaro, according to a family source, was first introduced to advocacy by her husband, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau. She soon became well-known in advocacy especially on issues concerning children and women. She has been associated with a number of feminist movements from as far back as the second republic including her fight for Northern women’s suffrage and the increase of women participation in politics.

A pioneer member of the Jami’yar Matan Arewa established in 1963, president of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), DogonYaro, in 1998, founded the Women’s Opinion Leaders Forum. Born in Kano in 1944, the late Garkuwan Garki, who lived most of her life in Kaduna, relocated to Kano from where she regularly journeyed home to Garki in Jigawa State, where she was building a female hostel.

Often described as the Queen of modern Northern politics, her name was most closely associated with the Jam’iyar Matan Arewa (JMA), the premier Northern women’s organisation where she played a very prominent role in women’s struggle in the North and in Nigeria over the years.

In her article, ‘Muslim and Christian women in dialogue: the case of northern Nigeria’, Kathleen McGarvey describes her as a woman not interested in the politicisation of her religion even though it was central to her life.

Hajiya Laila left behind four children, amongst whom are Architect Mohammed Ahmed, a businessman, Hajiya Amina DogonYaro, Hajiya Binta DogonYaro, a Magistrate in Abuja, Isa DogonYaro who works with the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Her eldest son, Alhaji Bashir Ahmed, told Weekly Trust that: “Hajiya was a caring and loving mother. She was a humble and patriotic woman, who was always willing to help needy people irrespective of their background. May Allah grant her Al-Jannah Firdaus and may He also forgive all her sins.”

Chief Imam of Garki Local Government Juma’at Mosque, Shiekh Isma’il Husaini led thousands of Muslim faithful for her funeral prayer, which was conducted at Garki Eid-El prayer ground at exactly 10am. Personalities that attended the prayer include former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, two gubernatorial candidates of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar and his counterpart of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Alhaji Farouq Adamu Aliyu among others. CPC gubernatorial candidate in the just-concluded general election, Alhaji Farouq Adamu Aliyu, described her death as a great loss not only to the people of Jigawa, but to the entire nation. He prayed to God to grant her Paradise.