She is the latest young human rights agitator, coming out of Sokoto state and her video has in the past 48 hours gone viral on social media. The youngster, Hamdiyya Sidi, is a woman advocate for the rights of the people of the banditry-ravaged Sokoto East.
In two TikTok outings, Miss Sidi makes a direct passionate appeal to the Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu, to weigh in on the predicament of the communities of Sabon Birni and Wurno local governments of the state, where bandits are visiting terror on the people. Her narration, though emotional, is rendered with an articulation that aptly captures the situation with a soul-touching effect.
With what seemed to be a mass of women IDPs standing behind her, the young agitator chose to appeal to the conscience of the Sokoto State Governor by inducing him to imagine himself in their situation. “Try to picture yourself,” she says, “as a husband, witnessing a sexual assault on your spouse, right in your bedroom or as a father, the molestation of your daughter, while you look on!”
The remarkable side of Hamdiyya Sidi’s action is her exploitation of the opportunity to sensitize the rural women on the importance of education, as the emancipator from injustice and exclusion. “Those whom you find unassailable have only one edge over you. They’ve gone to school and you have not.
“Politics, business and traditional leadership can’t be pursued without education. One person that you send to school can be the saviour of your entire community”, she declares.
Hamdiyya Sidi has set an important example for all of us, who engage in public commentary and the endeavour to influence public opinion: that is, it is not enough to only focus on telling the people where the government or leaders are going wrong. It is more crucial to sensitize the masses towards seeking for themselves, the enlightenment to know that for themselves.
Indeed, if the majority of the people are educated, the task of the critic is greatly eased, since the masses, being also aware, would hold governments responsible without being prodded to do so by the analysts. More importantly, exclusion of the people from decisions by leaders would be impossible because the latter, realising their stake, would by demand, play their role in those decisions.
The difficult conditions, in which Nigerians find themselves certainly provide the opportunity and the favourable mood to influence the thought and attitudes of the masses towards genuine positive change. And this young lady has called the initiative from which we ought to take the cue.
Shekara is a Sokoto-based media practitioner
