Education
Source: All Africa
Makurdi — Benue State First Lady Mrs. Dooshima Yemisi Suswam met with journalists in the state recently. She spoke on the participation of women in politics, state of the girl child education, marriage ties between persons of different cultural backgrounds among others, in an interview during the parley.
How would you describe inter-tribal marriage in Nigeria given the fact that you are married to someone from a different cultural background?
Dooshima Yemisi Suswam: It has not been very easy, but I give thanks to God. You know, God is a God of purpose. He does nothing by mistake; He does everything for a purpose. As He made it possible for me to marry from a different tribe, a man I grew up with shows that divine purpose was at work in the first place. Each time, I look back there is no cause for regrets. What is important is that you must realize that it is not an easy part to thread. You need God. Without God you can't achieve it.
In some communities in Benue state, it is believed that culture and tradition have not been fair to women. What have you done to tackle this challenge?
Generally, the African culture is a bit hostile to women. Benue is not an exception. In a situation where a community is discussing an issue of importance, women are not allowed to talk in such gatherings. The culture is such that it is always the first male child that has the right to speak, even if you are the oldest, as a woman you cannot speak. So, if that is fair, I leave that to you to discern.
How do you intend to address the growing case of violence against women?
When it comes to widows' right and other similar things, it doesn't happen here. When you talk about violence against women, it's not different from what happens elsewhere. In Benue, the culture is such that it is the woman who goes to the farm. She does the tilling of the ground, plants and when it is time to harvest, she does it and hand over everything to the husband who does whatever he likes with the farm yield. That is the culture here.
What is your take on the girl child education in Benue State?
You know, in the eastern part of the country, you see a lot of girls in school while majority of the boys are traders. But here in Benue State it is different and better. However, the girl child is still the one that will be the last to go to school if the economy of the family is bad. That is what we are all frowning at. That is where gender mainstreaming comes in. The solution to this starts from the homes. We are telling parents that if they must prepare slots in order to send their children to school, they should share it equally among the boys and girls so as to avail all of them education. Do you know that in the Nigerian home, when anyone falls ill, it is the girl child that must pull out of school to nurse that sick person? It is that bad in this country. We are only praying that these things will change in our life time.
Maternal mortality is also another serious problem in Nigeria; many states are seriously fighting it. What do you intend to do in this direction?
Maternal mortality cannot reduce until all our health facilities are in place and functional. Maternal mortality, shamefully and painfully, is still high in Nigeria. We should start from training our traditional birth attendants to develop. Here in Benue, you find out that majority of the people live in the rural communities and are still using traditional birth attendants. As I am talking to you now, so many people are still delivering their babies in their homes. So a lot of advocacy needs to be done. But if you want to know what the state government is doing through the ministry of health; I can say that all of our health facilities are being renovated and stocked with drugs. The primary healthcare centers are also undergoing same. The Governor has also equipped some of them. I'm passionately talking about this because if you want maternal mortality to reduce, people must start antenatal as soon as they discover they are pregnant.
If you have a healthy pregnancy you'll have a healthy baby and you will be alive to see your baby grow up a normal child and into an adult to the glorious future of this country. But if you don't attend antenatal you are already endangering yourself and your baby. So, if that is the foundation for resolving the issue of maternal mortality, the institutions that will cater for the pregnant people must be put in order. If this is not done, the pregnant women will have nowhere to consult during pregnancy which of course will endanger their lives and that of their unborn babies.
How far have you gone in changing this trend?
At the moment, we are trying to sponsor a bill to the Benue State House of Assembly through my office to ensure that antenatal and prenatal services are rendered free of charge in the state. We will present that bill only when the hospitals become fully renovated, equipped and operational. Though, I'm aware of some hospitals that have been completed.
My office is very concerned about maternal mortality and issues of HIV/AIDS. To underscore its importance, we have wards for delivery services in our clinic, especially, for the fact that there are lots of complications associated with pregnant women living positively with HIV/AIDS. The clinic was also set up to curb the high rate of maternal mortality. It is equipped with two ambulances which phone numbers have been published and circulated for use by the public.
We are still creating awareness for people to come out to be attended to at the right time. It is pathetic to note that when I visited the Federal Medical Center on the 1st of January this year, I discovered that the first baby of the year was not a normal child. Also very painful, the second child had a similar fate. There was a particular case of a mother who died at childbirth and another infant that died at birth. My advice to everyone who will read this piece, no matter the sex, is to strive to encourage pregnant women to register for antenatal care. The husbands should unfailingly ensure that their wives do not fail to attend antenatal the moment they become pregnant. It is important that everyone add their voices with us in this outcry.
How would you rate the performances of Nigerian women in positions of authority; would you say they have performed creditably to justify the clamour for 35 percent affirmative action for women?
Of course, you can count on my assurance on that. You see, there is no perfection anywhere in the world but the most important thing is that we have started. I must appreciate the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing 13 women into the federal cabinet and I can boldly say that they are not doing badly at all. If you put them side by side with the men and score them accordingly, you will see that they are not doing badly at all. So we are coming up. I believe that with the representations we have been able to make at both the state and federal levels, especially in my state for example, it is quite encouraging. I can vividly tell you those who are doing well and those who are not. I think it is worthy of exultation. Nigerian women have done us proud because they are not doing badly. I have trust in the Nigerian woman.
What motivated your pet project which you said is geared towards putting a smile on the faces of the less-privileged?
The motivation is simple, Almighty God. He instructed that we reach out to the poor and needy. As First Lady of the state I am compelled to reach out to the needy and I do it with so much joy because it gives me much pleasure when I do things for others to the glory of His name. For me, that is one way of saying thank you to the Almighty for His mercies and goodness. After all, His banner over us is love. And when you reach out you are demonstrating the love of God which He gave us freely.
If He can give us freely, why not replicate same by reaching out. That is the philosophy behind what I do. I also encourage well to do Nigerians to do same. If everyone does a bit to put smile on the faces of the downtrodden, you can only imagine how many people would be saved from threading the part of destruction, which the bible abhors.