Fati Yerima Askira, an Indigene of Borno state is a 22-year-old graduate of Botany from the University of Maiduguri. She is the Executive Director of the Borno Women Development Initiative (BWDI), an NGO primarily set up to assist Boko Haram victims in the state, including rendering other humanitarian services to Borno women because of their low literacy level. In this chat with ALIYU ASKIRA, she discusses her passion for working for the needy, saying she turned down job offer just to assist victims of Boko Haram.
Can we meet you and know what inspired you to setting up an NGO of this nature?
My name is Fati Yerima Askira, I read Botany from the University of Maiduguri, later did my service with Turkish Airline in their Kano office located in Nasarawa GRA Kano.
After my service, I was given the chance to take up an appointment with them if I want, but by then, I was already engaged in the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, I visited many states in the North to take part in protest against the adoption of the Chibok girls, but actually, I started to be in the vanguard of those trying to assist in rehabilitating those that lost their properties through Boko Haram activities even before the kidnap of the Chibok girls.
It will also interest you to know that I personally know some of the Girls kidnapped from Chibok and other parts of Borno by the Boko Haram insurgents, some of the girls are even from my home town Askira; though I am based in Maiduguri and does not know much about Askira I was there on few occasions.
Have you ever been threatened by the Borno state government, security agencies or even the insurgents?
I always watched my back in whatever I do. My NGO became active when the present administration has dealt seriously with the insurgents and their activities.
I don’t do anything that will put me in risk, I am from here what I do is to compliment what the state government is doing. We work hand in hand, they are very much aware of the activities of my NGO in fact, they used to be alerted at time about things happening in the IDP’s through our NGO because we are active on the social media.
Take the issue of rape cases, disappearance of 64 trailers of foodstuffs meant for IDPs in Borno and the ugly activities of some security agencies who take advantage of some of the women in IDP camps to sleep with them. These are things we brought to the knowledge of all those concerned including the International Community and the Buhari administration is already investigating all these.
Similarly, most of the security personnel that were involved in the rape cases have been deployed and replaced by female officers, we also organized workshops from time to time and visits to the 24 IDP camps in Maiduguri Metropolis including the 1.5 Million IDPs scattered all over the state so that we can in collaboration with all those concerned come to their aid.
Those already infected with HIV we liaised with government agencies to put them on drugs and also from time to time come to the camps to take their blood and know CD for rate so that they will know which drugs to apply to them.
Financially, how do raise funds to sponsor your activities?
Since I set up my NGO with a functional office we do liaise with donor agencies, Internationally and locally and at times we fund our activities but whatever comes to our NGO if it is not a donation directly to us, we promptly pass it over to those in the IDP camps because we are not in this business for money making or to enrich ourselves.
Right from childhood, I had the plan to be gender activist by assisting women especially rural women, that is why I always visit the 24 IDP camps in Maiduguri on daily basis, I also visited some outside the Borno state metropolis which was almost destroyed by Boko Haram.
Areas like Bama, Gwoza, Konduga, Damasak, Gomboru Ngala, Marte, Dikwa, Wulgo, Malanfatori, in fact, all villages in Northern Borno up to Damboa were virtually destroyed by Boko Haram.
It is not easy for people from this area to go back because of mines planted by the insurgents before they were chased away, so most of the people from these areas are still in IDP camps, and this means we still have lots of work to do, but my NGO is not leaving any stone unturned.
If we discover clear cases of rape or those that were forcefully infested with HIV by securities agencies or anybody at all we will not mind to encourage the victims to go to court because we are going to provide legal services for them.
How were you able to convince your mother and other members of your family to allow you run this NGO considering that your father is late and how dangerous and time consuming it looks?
You are correct, my father is late, but my mother and other members of my family are still alive. Actually, it was not easy when I approach them with the idea of setting up the NGO to assist women and Boko Haram victims but with time, they are gradually assisting the NGO which in future, will be broad base that will be giving scholarships to brilliant female children from poor family for them to further their education.
I am 26 years old and I have never married. I am still single and have enough time to do my activities without hindrance, but as a woman I have limitations as one cannot afford to stay late outside the house because of the nature of our society today. Whenever I settle down I will make sure I marry somebody who will understand my work and allow me to do my work freely because I enjoy what I am doing which is legal and humanitarian.
From your interaction with some of the victims of sexual assault and kidnap at the IDP camp, how would you describe their experience?
You see, since I started my NGO, I am yet to have happy moments, what I always go through is hearing about how those kidnapped especially women were subjected to sexual abuse by unidentified insurgents.
Some of the victims were forced to sleep with several men at the same time, others were forced to sleep with children that are as young as their own children and in the process some of them contracted HIV and other diseases.
I also witnessed women in labour that are completely naked and have no access to medical facilities, it is terrible and there is no way I will stop what I am doing because the more I interact with them, the more pain I felt. And for whoever created Boko Haram, I can assure you whether here or in the hereafter will go to hell fire.
