Hajiya Aishatu Ismail is a famous northern politician and women’s rights activist of the highest order, who spent much of her life time bettering the lots of women in Nigeria and beyond.
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Daily Telescope gathered that Aisha’s involvement in women and child development could be dated back to 1978 when she was appointed a social welfare officer in-charge of social work and child welfare rehabilitation scheme in Kano State.
In 1982, Aisha became the head of department of research, planning and statistics of the ministry of health, Kano State. However, in 1983, her passion to the development of women and children took her to the Kano state Ministry of Social Development, Youths, Sports and Culture as the head of social welfare department.
She remained there for five years and then appointed head of department of women mobilisation and family relations of the defunct Mass Mobilisation for Self Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER) in Kano State.
Also, in 1988, Aisha was appointed the Director-General of the Kano State Directorate of Women and Child Development; she was the first woman to occupy the position.
She made history again in 1990 when she was posted to the state’s Ministry of Social Development, Youths, Sports and Culture as the first female commissioner.
Two years after (1992), Aisha became the first Director-General of the National Commission for Women. That was after a stint at the Kano State Ministry of Health and Social Development as a commissioner and as chairman, panel on the review of the children and young person’s law in 1991.
Daily Telescope learnt that between 1992 and 1994, she was the president of the African regional coordinating committee on the integration of women in development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
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Aisha Ismail also served alternative head of delegation to the commission on the status of women of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria in 1992.
A year after, Daily Telescope learnt, she became a special envoy to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), on the establishment of women programme for OAU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Hajiya Aisha Ismail was also a special envoy to the International Agency for Food and Agricultural Programme, IFAD conference on rural women in Brussels, Belgium in 1994. The same year, she was a delegate to the IFAD’s summit action on women and rural development in Geneva, Switzerland.
Aisha also served as a member of other international bodies such as the International Health Coalition in the United States, Latin American Women Movement on Women and Population Issues and the Federation of the African Women Entrepreneurs of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Daily Telescope gathered that her efforts in improving the wellbeing of women and children have not been without accolades, as she received the women of excellence award from the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS).
She also bagged a National award of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
In the area of politics, Aisha has served as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development from June 1999 until May 2003. However, as a member of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), she faced serious pressure in October 2002 to leave the government, she was serving which was dominated by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but she refused to quit.
Daily Telescope observed that despite her contributions to the development of women and children, the famous women’s rights activities has not been heard for a very long time.
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She is not being seen at either political gatherings or government functions. However, a source close to her confided in Daily Telescope that the famous politician spent much of her time in Abuja contributing to the wellbeing of women through non-government organisations.
A holder of B.Sc Sociology from the famous Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Aisha bagged an M.Sc degree in Economics from the University College of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. She was married and has four children.
