allAfrica.com: Nigeria: FOMWAN - Lessons From the Sokoto Caliphate (Page 1 of 2)

The Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) held its 23rd Annual National Conference from August 21- 24 2008 in Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate. The conference was attended by over 1,000 delegates from all the states of the federation.

Since it was established in 1985, the federation has been organising these conferences and workshops which rotate between the Northern and Southern parts of the country. The event is a grassroots affair with delegates drawn from various states and local governments. The conference papers, although delivered in English are always translated into Hausa and Yoruba. All the members from the South East branches speak English which eased the task of translating into Igbo for the conference organisers. The activities began on Thursday with a spiritual and social night that featured a Quranic recitation competition in which award wining female reciters participated.

This year the theme of the conference was: Revival and Reform in the Sokoto Caliphate and Its relevance to Present Time. The opening ceremony which was held at the Trade Fair Complex was attended by the delegates and dignitaries from state and federal levels. The Sokoto State Governor Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko was represented by the Commissioner, Ministry for Religious Affairs, His eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar was the royal father of the day while the former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari who was out of the country for an important affair, was the Chairman of the occasion. He was represented by Professor Abubakar Gwandu, former Vice Chancellor of Usman Danfodio University Sokoto and also the former chairman of the National Pilgrims Commission. The First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua was represented by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Saudatu Usman Bungudu. The wives of the Governors of Adamawa and Kaduna States, Hajiya Asmau Nyako and Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo also attended, while the wife of the Zamfara State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Mahmud Shinkafi presented an address.

The National Amirah of FOMWAN, Dr Lateefah Durosinmi in her welcome address, expressed gratitude to Allah for guiding the federation since its establishment twenty three years ago. She shared the vision of FOMWAN with the audience. The federation envisions a world where women are totally empowered to be role models in making positive impact in religious and general matters. The mission is to propagate Islam through da'awah, establishment of educational institutions and other outreach activities. Another of its mission is also to improve the socio economic status of the populace especially women, youth, and children through training, provision of qualitative education, health and human services, micro-credit schemes and advocacy.

The federation has come a long way since its establishment in Minna in 1985. Dr Lateefah Durosinmi listed some of the achievements of FOMWAN which include establishment of state chapters in 36 states and also the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, over 1,000 affiliate organisations, 554 local government chapters, over 100 model nursery, primary and secondary schools, five hospitals and three orphanages, over 200 islamiyyah /Qur'anic schools and adult literacy centres and many income generation projects across the country. Without dictating to states on which projects to engage in, but providing guidelines to state chapters, the federation's National Executive Council which holds quarterly meetings at the headquarters in Abuja has been able to serve as a networking and policy development body. FOMWAN has been able to catalyse the establishment of similar associations in other West African

countries. Ghana (FOMWAG), Liberia (FOMWAL), Gambia (FOMWAGA), Sierra Leone (FOMWASL), and Mauritius (FOMWAM).It has also reached out to the Muslim Women in Niger Republic. Indeed nineteen delegates from Niamey in Niger attended the Sokoto conference.

Since its inception, FOMWAN has been making input into policy through partnership with governments at all levels, thereby earning it an official stakeholder status in the government's Universal Basic Education (UBE), the Nomadic Education Programmes and at the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE). FOMWAN is a member of the Civil Society Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA). Various branches are also networking and collaborating with Islamic organisations and other NGOs in the implementation of various programmes .Among these are education, provision of integrated maternal health services in its hospitals, campaigns for promoting reproductive healthcare, reduction of maternal and child mortality and HIV/AIDS, rehabilitation of almajirai and refugee children. The federation generates its funding from membership dues, sale of publications, donations and grants from development partners, and the zakat from the Muslim community. As a step to preventing donor dependency and ensuring self reliance and sustainability of its projects, the federation in its first ten years did not receive grants from donors and sorely funded its activities by generating the required resources locally. Indeed several states displayed and sold their publications and products at the conference.

FOMWAN's strength lies in its corp of dedicated volunteers at all levels, who readily sacrifice their time to promote the federation's vision and mission, pay their way to attend meetings and embark on fundraising to sustain its activities. The federation also draws its strength from its culture of assigning responsibility to various Standing Committees which coordinate projects and other activities. There is also respect for organisational history. Some of the founding members who were at various times the federation's National Amirah have remained with the organisation and are still contributing to its development in various ways. Among them are the first Amirah Hajiya Aisha Lemu who is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, the second, Alhaja Lateefah Okunnu, Chairperson of the Education Committee, the third, Hajiya Saadiya Omar, Coordinator of the North West Zone, the fourth, Alhaja Khairat Saddique, currently the Coordinator of North Central Zone and the fifth, my humble self as the Chairperson of Projects and International Relations Committee. Equally important to the success recorded by the organisation is the support it receives from Muslim men, particularly the husbands who not only support their wives and allow them to volunteer their time to participate in FOMWAN activities but also donate to the federation and readily honour invitations to attend the federation's activities. We often refer to them as our FOMMEN - the Federation of Muslim Men. They are advocates for the right of women to strengthen their faith, organise and offer service to the community. Their support was critical in those formative years of the organisation when some male critics used to say that it was not the duty of Muslim women to engage in such activities where there were capable men to undertake such assignments. We drew their attention to the fact that Islam enjoins men and women to all contribute to societal development in their various ways and women were in a better position to design and implement their own community outreach project. Some of the men who supported us were identified as hen pecked husbands who allowed their wives too much freedom to stray into male domain. FOMWAN's achievements and the support it continues to attract from a broad spectrum of the Muslim community have underscored its relevance in daawah activities.

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