Northern Nigerian women need more opportunities in politics - Musawa

• Published date: 22 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Who are you and how do you manage all the many tasks you are known with?

I am from Katsina state. My dad is Alhaji Musa Musawa, a seasoned politician in the northern part of the country. He is of the school of the Aminu Kano, and he was part of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) back in Kano. So he is a sort of radical. Mallam Aminu Kano was my godfather. My father was a great feminist so to speak. Even though we are from Katsina which is a conservative part of the country it was always a matter of as a woman you have that opportunity or you can do whatever a man can do. My father took us to the UK when I was five years old with my siblings. We went to school there.

So that sort of objective mindset that I had and I always wanted to be a lawyer because I always felt being a lawyer is a way that one can fight for a certain freedom. I came back and found myself in a legal career. This is what I wanted to do. I started my legal career quite early but even with that I always felt something was missing and I felt it wasn't enough. I wanted to do something more. In 1999 when the fourth republic (started) I had an interest in this newfound democracy.

How did you venture into politics?

It was in 2002 when President Muhammadu Buhari declared himself an aspirant and because I have grown up also with Muhammadu Buhari as another father, we were all from Katsina but sort of grew up in Kaduna. Even though I was in the UK we were always coming to Kaduna. So I knew him, I knew his children; they were my very close friends, and his wife was my mother as well. When I was getting married he was one of the fathers who gave me out.

So, I joined his political movement in late 2002 and there were very few of us women from the north; Sadiya Umar Farouk who is the current Humanitarian Minister. She was one of those that were sponsors of that movement; Hajiya Nàja'atu Mohammed from Kano was part of that movement. There were very few of us. Then as a lawyer, I also became part of his legal team at the presidential election petition tribunal. We went to court but that didn't work out either.

Along the way, I met late Sam Nda-Isaiah who was Chairman of the Leadership Group of Newspapers. We became very close. He was part of the Buhari organisation. In 2004, Sam told me he wants to start his newspaper. So Sam started back in 2004 and I started writing. As I said, writing is a hobby. Many people can consider me a journalist, I am not. I am just a lawyer. I have been writing since...