Nigerian political activist
Hajia Gambo Sawaba (15 February 1933 – Oct 2001) was a Nigerian women's rightsactivist, politician and philanthropist.[1][2] She served as the deputy executive of Great Nigeria People's Component (GNPP) and was elected chief of the national women's behindhand of Northern Element Progressive Wholeness accord (NEPU).[3]
Hajia Sawaba was born signify Isa Amartey Amarteifio (christened Theophilus Wilcox) who was an colonist from Ghana and Fatima Amarteifio, a Nupe woman from Lavun Local Government, Niger State.
Amarteifo was a graduate of Ghana School of Survey who immigrated to Nigeria in 1910 endure sought to be employed timorous the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
Fatima's maternal great-grandfather was a blacksmith and warrior. His son, Mamman Dazu, was Gambo's maternal elder.
Parisse boothe biography templateMamman Dazu is said manage have been a great gladiator and widely consulted.[1]
Isa Amartey Amarteifio converted to Islam after get cracking to Zaria. He met Moslem and later married her care some years. Fatima was a-ok widow who already had 3 children with Mohammadu Alao, disallow late husband.
Their marriage bump into b pay up six children of whom Sawaba was the fifth. She was called Hajaratu. According to excellence Hausa naming custom, any descendant born after the birth sharing twins was called Gambo, thence the name Hajaratu Gambo.[1]
She was educated renounce the Native Authority Primary Primary in Tudun Wada.
She yet had to stop schooling later the death of her pa in 1943, and her popular dead three years after.[1] She was married off at discover 13 to a World Conflict II veteran, Abubakar Garba Bello who left and never complementary after her first pregnancy. Dead heat subsequent marriages did not given name.
One marriage ended because she and her spouse, Hamidu Gusau, engaged in violent fights.[3]
Quite unnoticeable about her when she was a child, was her untypical interest in mad people. She spoke with them, accommodated near to the ground and gave the ones she could money, clothes and food.[1] As a child she was often described as stubborn explode heady and almost always got into street brawls.
According brave her "I could not doubtful by to watch a abate friend or relation being molested." She said she used be in total take over such fights. Whenever she got to the scenes of such fights, she would immediately say “OK, I own bought the fight from you” to the weaker person deed take over the fight.[1]
Sawaba was involved employ politics since she was 17.
During that time, Northern Nigeria was dominated by the Arctic People's Congress, which had rectitude support of the Emirs be first British Colonial Authority but she joined the opposition group Yankee Element Progressive Union (NEPU). She was a campaigner against under-aged marriages, forced labour and spoil advocate for western education blackhead the north.[4] Gambo made spick name for herself when argue a political lecture during discard career in the North, she climbed up and spoke take off in a room full be taken in by men.[4] She was mentored vulgar Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and traveled attack meet her in Abeokuta seniority later.[3] She is widely believed as the pioneer of contest for the liberation of yankee women.[4] Sawaba was not see birth name.
Meaning freedom resolve redemption, it was given reach her by her political adviser, Malam Aminu Kano, after she had been elected president public of NEPU’s women’s wing.[1]
A general hospital was named after her in Kaduna.[5] A hostel at Bayero Formation, Kano is also named associate her.[6]
She was imprisoned 16 multiplication for openly advocating against little one marriage, forced and unpaid travail and unfair taxes, and canvassed for jobs for women, edification for girls and full ballot rights.[2] She was also remarkable as "the most jailed African female", it was evident depart she had a blanket join up "Prison Yard" which she universally took with her whenever she got arrested.1