Where there is politics, there will be activism. Wherever humans exist, politics will always have a place because some people would want to dominate over other people‘ interests, and this is where activism comes in to fight.
Where there is politics, there will be activism. Wherever humans exist, politics will always have a place because some people would want to dominate over other people‘ interests, and this is where activism comes in to fight.
Gender Identity never limits the activism gusto in people who stay at the forefront of the fight for equal allocation of resources and rights. Aisha Yesufu is a famous activist and businesswoman in Nigeria who is reputed for her fearless activism and willingness to challenge the wrong rulings of the government. She is notable for her involvement in most of the major protests that shook the Nation of Nigeria, and brought her to the limelight is the END SARS Protest, one that even earned her a statue with her arms raised, fighting for the people.
Aisha Yesufu founded the Bring-Back-Our-Girls group that aimed to protest for the return of the 200 Chibok girls kidnapped on the 14th of April, 2014. Her accolades are outstanding, but who was Aisha before the activism move, and what made her spirit so alive in fighting for the rights of people. Aisha Yesufu is currently married to Aliu Osigwe Yesufu and they have two children.
I will not be an irresponsible parent and leave this fight for my children. I am ready to sacrifice my life for my children to live. I brought them to this world, and need to fix the world I put them in.”
Before the Fighting and Business
On the 12th of December 1973, Aisha Yesufu was born to her parents in Kano State though they hail from Edo State. Aisha was a young girl exposed to the harsh patriarchal part of society, and this was one reason she kept pushing for wrongs to become correct. At age 24, she had witnessed her young friends get married, become grandparents and die at childbirth. SHe would have been just like them had she not loved education. Her will to keep reading and learning made her realise that the world is one vast place, and she could get a better life than what she was exposed to.
People kept looking down on her because she is a woman and she was even rejected by the Nigerian Defence Academy back in 1991 though. She did not give up and went on to study medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University in Kano she could not complete her education there and enrolled in Bayero University to study Microbiology.
The challenges she has been through would have made others fall under pressure, but she turned the effect of the pressure into a strong will to challenge situations and people on the wrong side.
She has been noted to fearlessly speak up about matters in the nation as she often lists names, and though this is a dangerous move; she doesn’t stop. Her enemies
are innumerable, but she believes people should be given the opportunity of equal rights amongst others. Aisha might have enemies, but she also follows her spirit and this helped her gain a huge youth following who admire her spirit and her resilience. In 2020 BBC recognised her efforts and listed her among the BBC’s 100 Women. Also, in 2020, the New Africans Magazine listed among the 100 Most Influential Africans. She also won the Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti human Rights Award due to her fight for the human rights and Justice in Nigeria.
Tales of her Activism
Boko haram is one group that has been terrorising Nigeria for a while. In 2014, they did the unthinkable and kidnapped 200 girls and to fight for their rescue, she and Oby Ezekwesili founded the #BringBackOurGirls movement. To this effect, she went all the way to the National Assembly to protest and seek for attention to be put on the case so the girls could be returned. The campaign she led attracted various global dignitaries and caused people in other countries to join in.
Aisha played a massive role in the first End SARS Protest in 2017. She aimed to stand against and stop the brutality of the Nigerian Police, especially the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), who were terrors to the youth. Even when people from the Northern regions threatened her, she skill continued to voice out about the protest. The Symbol for the protest is a fist raised, and this symbol was coined from the picture of her raising her fist to symbolise her stand.
Her concerns and what she does
As previously stated, she earned a lot of enemies in her activism, but she continues. This can be seen in how she makes sure to point out where the leaders are getting it all wrong, whether they are religious or political leaders. On the 2nd of No- vember 2021, she stated in a Twitter post that Nigerian religious leaders are worse than political rulers. In the article, she highlighted that the religious leaders are gaining from the bad governance, and they are selling cheap miracles. She also spoke about how the Pastors encourage their members not to hate the government even when they are not delivering. Aisha mentioned her belief that religious leaders play a role in the religious problems plaguing the country. To Aisha, Nigeria will never be free until the people are free from pastors, traditional priests, and mallams.
She has also previously spoken against the reign of President Mu- hammadu Buhari and blames the Northern part of Nigeria for the continued damage brought upon by his administration. Recently, she has been admonishing the youths to protest against the evil by the government as she believes the President should be impeached, and it is wrong if the National Assembly does not work on this. Aisha Yesufu aims for the youths to come out in their numbers and actively protest against the leadership so that there can be change. She always gives her response on recently happening matters in the country, and she never ceases to drop her thoughts even when there was the case of Kidnap on the Abuja-Kaduna Road.
Aisha continues to make her opinions known because it is possible for those who survived today’s onslaught of attacks to become the victims tomorrow. Hence, no one should be quiet.
Her Other Engagements
Aisha is concerned about fighting for the rights and safety of the people. She is also invested in the empowerment of women. She constantly pushes for the education of these women so they can be financially literate and can have wealth and power.
Another notable feature of her is her being a businesswoman. She founded Citizens Hub, a non-profit organisation that aims to build people who are financially independent, active, and responsible citizens. The central vision of the Citizens Hub is to educate citizens to become financial literates so they can develop personally and socially. Aisha Yesufu is also a Public Speaker who has spoken in several countries like the United States, South Africa, Ghana, the UK and many others. In her speeches, she makes sure to inform her audience of kidnapping and other issues plaguing the citizens of Nigeria. Some Universities like Edinburg University have invited her to speak about what went down in Nigeria during the End SARS Protest and “The Many Meanings of #EndSARS in Nigeria”. The Harvard Kennedy School also invited her to speak on the protest. She has also visited the Chatham House Africa programme to speak of the “Role of Non-Violent Protests in Influencing Change and Delivery.
Apart from Aisha’s advocacy for good governance, she also lends her voice to the matters of gender and feminism. That all her female friends were already married by age Eleven made her see the pains that many children undergo because of early marriage and some of them even died. She believes Islam does not ordain these kinds of practices, hence, they should be stopped.
Therefore, she fights for girls and women because she wants to be their voice even when she would get in trouble, she never stops.
Aisha Yesufu avoids the act of attaching a label to yourself and, in the process, a role gets attached. SHe refuses to view herself based on her gender, her activities or her status. She is just a lady trying to thrive as a human while being herself. Aisha Yesufu is not limited by technology as she makes use of her social media handles, twitter especially to make sure people hear her voice. On Twitter, she voices her opinions on issues that do not favour the masses. There she counters unjust measures by the government and also on this platform, she criticizes people in religious and political positions. Her Twitter posts have made the news frequently.
Though she always voices her displeasures regarding the acts of some religious leaders, she is very much affiliated with her religion as she is Muslim and is always seen donning her hijab. She is proud of her religion and even states that Islam is not a religion that limits women as she models Aisha, the wife of the prophet Muhammed, who always stood for the right things and shunned all forms of injustice.
Aisha’s activism role is an opportunity she uses to keep speaking out so that the country does not get destroyed and the children’s future coming up will be better. For Aisha, there is no chance for silence because silence can kill, but this silence should not be given a chance, hence, someone should speak up.
