“Treat women with kindness… so treat women with kindness.” Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Two Lilly-white, mature-looking ladies caught my attention as I parked my black Kia SUV in front of Senator Shehu’s house along the bustling Dass Road last Sunday morning, in Bauchi. The ladies stood out from the motley crew of constituents besieging his house for favours.
I wondered why they’re there. They looked different. I had thirty thousand on me, so I approached them, thinking if it’s something I can handle I would ‘see’ them on Senator’s behalf.
As I said salam to them, they eagerly answered, their faces beaming with smiles. They respectfully greeted me and added that they came not to seek something from Senator Shehu. I asked what’s the need for coming then. Their answer melted my heart.
They’re there to ask not for anything but to give gratitude. The first, a widow and mother to orphans, lost everything in an overnight raging inferno. Our few firefighters just fight fires inside Bauchi; so couldn’t have helped her. The roof over their heads turned to ashes before their very teary eyes. Their world was turned upside down. They’d nowhere to shelter. Losing a husband and a breadwinner is enough, but when it rains it pours.
Senator Shehu heard about her. Within one week her house’s restored and returned back to her, better in shape. The money, in millions, is beside the point. What’s important is Shehu shields her and her orphans with kindness. That’s Shehu! Mujaddadi – a Mujahid who looks after the widows, keeping with Prophetic tradition: “The one who looks after a widow… is like a Mujahid who fights fisabilillah.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The second, a divorcée, had an adolescent daughter who’s involved in an accident that broke her legs – multiple fractures on the right leg. The mother did her best but couldn’t afford to fix the legs of her dotting daughter. She was destined to a life of destitution on crutches or a wheelchair. She’s disturbed. Who’d marry a girl who can’t walk? Would she remain unmarried forever?
Not until Shehu showed up and shared a million Naira to give her a specialist treatment. Now, her daughter who couldn’t walk before can beat Tobi Amusan in 200m hurdles. Her legs healed. What a kind-hearted Senator worthy of our gratitude!
The story of these two beautiful souls symbolises the toilsome tasks Shehu embraced bravely and compassionately since his election – and before. I wish I could share the stories of hundreds of other women and girls whose medical bills Shehu paid and shelters he built.
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A few are: Zarau Muhammad who got ₦1 million for surgery at Dala Orthopaedic Hospital Kano; Nasiru Sadeeq got ₦800 thousand to fix his broken thigh bone at Bimma Hospital, Jos; little Binta was taken to Kaduna for her treatment put at ₦408 thousand and ₦3.8 for Babangida Abu at ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi. Shehu treats women with kindness! He’s compassionate.
Lastly, in the spirit of Qur’an 90:17 (… enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion), we appeal to Mujaddadi – Mujahid – to extend this compassion by enacting compassionate laws focusing on widows, divorcées, single mothers and young ladies. Laws centred on investing in ‘woman capital development’ and giving women more jobs to do. That’s the real deal for economic progress, according to Ashoka Mody, Visiting Professor of International Economic Policy at Princeton University, citing a World Bank report and Oded Galor, Brown University economist.
Saad, a lawyer is the Acting Chairman of APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi State and former Director-General of BASEPA.
