Undimmed by over 30 years of rigorous/tedious and meritorious public service as an accountant in philanthropic organisation across the Niger, (Kano State Foundation) as Gidauniyar Jihar Kano, a promising master of figures in person of Hajiya Nafisatu Yola began a brightful career at the foundation in early 90s.
However, her debut penultimate week, precisely on Saturday November 6, 2021 as a turbaned traditional title holder by the district head of Tudun Wada under the famous Rano Emirate Council of Kano state has proved the foregoing assessment incontestable.
Having had a short but fruitful stint at the foundation, she subsequently made an adventure into the core civil service under Kano State Government. Hajiya Nafisatu Yola whose antecedents are rooted from the renowned Yolawa dynasty of Yola quarters that equally hosts the official residence of Madakin Kano made history as the pioneer crowned female occupier of a traditional title of Iyar Garin Tudun Wadan Dankadai which literary means the “Matriarch of Tudun Wada Town.
Although retired recently from the public service, aunty Nafisat as called by siblings and peers exhibited unassumed physical physique portraying no sign of being aged; rather, the decision of the district head of Tudun Wada and his cabinet had invariably explored the human capacity of the newly-turbaned traditional title holder.
Posterity would be kind to the district head, his council, and Rano Emirate in general for extending a hand of recognition to a well-deserved female personality culminating in the epoch-making occasion of conferring the prestigious title on the subject.
As all roads leads to Tudun Wada town, south of Kano, the ancient town remains in its best recalling memories of previous turbanning ceremonies of equally distinguished personalities of the area such as the majority leader/chief whip of the House of Representatives at the National Assembly, Hon Alhassan Ado Doguwa as Sarkin Yakin Tudun Wada.
The memory of crowning Iyar Garin Tudun Wada at the occasion has not only enlivened the ‘rice producers’ town’ (being the largest producer) of home-grown rice in the country courtesy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s legacy on agriculture, but has made the community to agog as various stakeholders, political power brokers, academics, clerics and bureaucrats as well as thousands of citizenry trooped to the palace of the district head in their best regalia to partake in the event.
While one appreciates the presence of multitude of well wishers and admirers who turned out enmass to celebrate an icon of figures–turned traditional title holder, it is the general consensus of diverse shades of opinion that the newly-turbanned Iyar Garin Tudun Wada would bring her wealth of experiences spanning over three decades to bear in the smooth discharge of her exalted office, the traditional institution and the womenfolk.
Opinion wise, Hajiya Nafisatu’s ride to stardom has ignited hope and inspirations to the weak gender having realised their unexplored potentials and capacity to promote unsentimental gender equality, nay champion the doctrine of paradigm shift in our society considered ‘locked’ or made to be a laughing stock by a section of the polity. Thus, the emergence of the newly-traditional title appointee is undoubtedly opined to be an instrument and opportunity to promote and address the hitherto imbalance occasioned by cultural stigmatisation of the female folk.
In concurrence with the traditional monarch of Tudun Wada during his post-turbanning speech that the council, in particular, the entire district considered an array of Hajiya Nafisatu Yola’s credentials – hence expecting much to be reciprocated in terms of being beneficial to the community, the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Unlike past cultural norms that were wrongly misinterpreted as caging the progress of average women in this part of the country, one humbly but gladly recalls the days of Her Majesty, Queen Amina of Zaria, the likes of late Hajiya Laila Dogon Yaro and many other distinguished female recipients of various positions in their respective communities. Therefore, the ride to prominence by this retired female public servant against all odds floored pessimists wrong that northern Nigeria, or Hausa-speaking communities are also blessed with amazons hence identifying the recipient as Iyar Garin Tudun Wada in spite of her disdain to publicity profile mainly attributed to one’s career (code of conduct) as a civil servant.
However, it is strongly viewed that Hajiya Nafisatu Yola should view her new adventure into the core traditional institution as a challenge to her known business and private attributes. Her crowning has opened yet a new vista in quest of women progression in the northern part of the country while urging the Iyan Garin Tudun Wada to remain her quintessential self.
Ayagi wrote from Kano
