Most people don’t seem to know you outside Bayero University Kano (BUK), where you have held several top positions, and the academic community in general. Can you speak on your background?
My name is Fatima Binta, I’m from Sokoto state and my father’s name is Mallam Halliru Binji, he was a Judge and deputy to Sheikh Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi, when he was Grand Khadi of Northern Nigeria.
My father was a great Islamic scholar and author of several Islamic books, so he stood firm to make sure all his children had Islamic knowledge. As such, none of his children began attending western schools without first acquiring Islamic education and graduating.
He allowed all his children, irrespective of their gender, to pursue Western education, he didn’t differentiate amongst them. So, all his children had the opportunity to attain their desired academic pursuit in education.
For example, by the wish of Allah, I’m now the Registrar of BUK. Many of my sisters have attained lofty heights in their chosen careers; one of my sisters is a Commissioner in Sokoto state and another is a medical doctor.
Some of my brothers and sisters are also high ranking civil servants. So, we thank God that all of us in the family are doing well and so on. Our mother, even though, she’s not literate in Western education, supported us all through. She kept encouraging us on the need to be educated and be self-reliant and supportive of each other.
So, how did you start teaching?
After my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I began teaching at Kano Capital School and I have been a teacher from 1983 to 2001, serving in most of secondary schools in Kano.
So, from there, I sought to lecture at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) and luckily, I was given the job. I started as a Registrar, then became an examination officer and served for five years.
Now Allah has ordained I will become the Academic Secretary of this University. It has been based on merit, so I prayed for Allah’s protection against evil and I beg for His guidance all through, until I leave the position safely.
My ambitions is to help women to get educated and to protect them against all sorts of harassments. When I assumed this position, I made sure that we achieved certain milestones. For example, the federal government sent a circular that the admission for female students should raise to 30 per cent, also the percentage of academic and non-academic staff should be raised to 30 per cent. This increase in admission and employment quotas came about due to our collective efforts, after like-minds met and made a case for it and the proposal was accepted.
Women need more care and better attention in both their personal and academic careers. A woman needs her parents to encourage her about the importance of education, by providing what she needs and treating her with compassion when the need arises.
Also, if she gets married, her husband should support her to achieve her dreams. On a personal note, I’m contributing my own widow’s mite towards boosting girl-child education, by sponsoring girls from poor financial background and orphans to study. For example, I have sponsored three girls up to NCE level, and currently, there are five girls that I am sponsoring in secondary school both in Sokoto and Kano.
In addition, I usually pay the registration fees of three female students in Bayero University where I work every year.
Why did your father, who was an Islamic scholar, put you in a missionary school in Sokoto?
Actually, my father wanted the best for us in terms of education, especially in both spoken and written English. So, when he was posted to Sokoto, the only school where English people were teachers was St Paul’s Primary school, and he enrolled us there.
It really didn’t matter, there was no religious bigotry then. The missionaries saw us all as children of (Prophet) Adam. The cultural and religious norms of all were respected, so we were allowed to tie our scarves as Muslim girls.
My siblings were not the only Muslims in St Paul’s at that time; Some of my Muslim classmates then were Murtala Ajadi who is now a staff of Usman Danfodio university. Amina and Rabi Umaru Audi sisters to Justice Fati Abdussalam, wife of former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar.
We had an Islamic Religious Knowledge(IRK) teacher and during morning assemblies, both Christians and Muslim prayers were recited. We had our afternoon prayers in the school. What really mattered then was the quality of education and we were able to gain from the British teachers.
No doubt, it has been Challenging building career and raising a family. Does any experience stand out for you?
It is not easy combining family life with career, especially now that I am the registrar of the fastest growing 2nd generation university in Nigeria but I am managing.
I make sure that all my mails are done on the very day they are registered, my minutes of meetings and all external and internal memos and submissions are done aptly, therefore I dedicate my weekends to my family.
Apart from your parents who else influenced you? Who are your role models?
My role models while growing up were aunty Amina Yahya Gusau, who was a nurse. I admired her immaculate uniform. I also admired aunty Maryam Waziri in her lovely Girls Guide uniform, while we were Brownies.
Another role model was Aisha Gumi, who is married to my elder brother Muhammad. She was a bookworm and graduated with 1st class honors in Mathematics from Ahmadu Bello University(ABU), Zaria.
