Prominent Nigerians




Hajia Gambo Sawaba

Full Name: Hajia Gambo Sawaba
State of Origin: Zaria, Kadunna.
Ethnicity: NUPE/ Ghanaian
Date of Birth: 15 February, 1933               
Died: October 2001 (aged 71)
Cause of Death: Natural Causes
Nationality: Nigerian/ Ghanaian
Marriage status: Married.
Spouse(s): Abubakar Garba Bello, Hamidu Gusau,
Parents: Mr Isa and and Fatima Amarteifo
Children: Bilikisu
Residence: Lagos, Nigeria
Language: Hausa and English
Religion: Islam
Occupation:  Politician, Activist
Position(S):
Political party: Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU)

INTRODUCTION
Hajia Gambo Sawaba was born in Zaria, Kaduna state, in 1933 to parents Fatima and Isa Amarteifo (a Ghanaian). Her birth name was Hajaratu Amarteifo but she was born after a set of twins and so was nicknamed Gambo, the nickname stuck. Her father was of Ghanaian origin while her mother was from Nupeland.

EDUCATION
As a child, Gambo Sawaba was often described as stubborn and forthright. By her own admission, she often went out looking for fights, although she rationalizes said fights as her way of protecting the weaker people she knew. She also showed a marked affection towards mentally challenged and generally less privileged members of society.  She attended “The Native Authority Primary School in Tudun Wada”
As a result of untimely death of her father in 1943, and then shortly after her mother in 1946, That cut short her education.

POLITICS CAREER 
Hajia Gambo Sawaba entered politics when she was 17. At that time, northern Nigeria was dominated by the Northern People's Congress (NPC), which had the support of the Emirs and British Colonial Authority.
Hajia Gambo Sawaba belonged to opposition group the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU), which she joined in Zaria when a local branch was formed. The party held secretive meetings to hide their activities from the police.
NEPU's early message was to relinquish power from the elites and rally round the poor. They were anti-colonialism and anti-corruption.
Gambo was made women's leader at Kaduna's Sabon Gari branch. At one point she travelled to Abeokuta to meet female activist - and mother of singer Fela - Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Gambo had read about her successful protest against the taxation of Egba women.

A few months later, Gambo made a name for herself when, at a political lecture in Zaria, she climbed on to a podium and spoke out in a room full of male contemporaries who were afraid to open their mouths. She continued to raise her profile by going door-to-door and meeting women who weren't allowed to attend political activities because of their gender. She campaigned against the marriage of underage girls and the use of forced labour. She was also a great advocate of Western education in the North.
She died of natural causes in October 2001 aged 71.

LOVE, MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN
At 13 years of age, Gambo was married off (if we can call that marriage) to Abubakar Garba Bello, a World War II veteran. When the teenaged Gambo was pregnant with their first child, Bello disappeared, never to be heard from again. The child was Bilikisu. A few years later, Gambo got married again to Hamidu Gusau. That marriage was, to call a mountain a mole hill, tempestuous. Husband and wife often had disagreements that degenerated into violent fights (never a good idea) because Gambo could dish up a good fight and apparently so could Hamidu. The two eventually parted ways and Gambo would try marriage twice more.

THE DAYS OF YOUTH:
As a child, Gambo Sawaba was often described as stubborn and forthright. By her own admission, she often went out looking for fights, although she rationalizes said fights as her way of protecting the weaker people she knew. She also showed a marked affection towards mentally challenged and generally less privileged members of society.

INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT GAMBO SAWABA

  1. Gambo was said to have been sent to jail a staggering 16 times in her lifetime - usually on trumped-up charges – and was often brutalised by the police.
  2. In 1953, she organised an inaugural meeting of the women's wing in Kano city.
  3. In July 1958, during NEPU's second congress, the women's wing decided to join up with the Nigerian Women's Union, which was under the leadership of Ransome-Kuti.
  4. During the second republic, Gambo became a member of the Great Nigeria People's Party and served as a deputy chairman.
  5.  In the 70s, she was involved in small-scale trading and later worked as a contractor.
  6. Through the first republic, she continued with her political activities sometimes suffering humiliating punishments from opposition thugs. She supported women’s right to vote and was eventually elected leader of the national women’s wing of NEPU.
  7. She was a supporter of the Northern Elements Progressive Union during the Nigerian First Republic

The NPC had the support of the Muslim elite, the emirs as well as the British colonial authority. Don’t forget that Northern Nigeria at the time was administered through a system called indirect rule which left the emirs a very powerful lot, so their political party was very powerful indeed. Now, unless you’re one of the many clueless individuals in cyberspace, you know that Northern Nigeria is not populated by one group only. While the Muslim Hausa and Fulani (two different groups by the way) are in the majority, there are also other groups in the area; Nupe, Lantan, Birom, Tiv, Jukun, Igbira, non-Muslim Hausa and Fulani to name a few. These other groups felt the predominantly Muslim NPC was taking advantage of them and, yes, oppressing them. Of all the parties and groups that tried to fight the northern hegemony that was already institutionalized at that time, perhaps the most successful and the most prominent was the Aminu Kano led Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU). This was the party Gambo Sawaba would join.
A branch of NEPU was formed in Sawaba’s Zaira but meetings had to be held in secret for the safety of all involved. Gambo Sawaba joined this party and quickly rose to become the women leader in the branch. . Eventually she would leave Zaria for Abeokuta where she was to meet Funmilayo Kuti. Mrs. Kuti had become Gambo’s role model after the latter read about some of the former’s exploits in Abeokuta especially Funmilayo Kuti’s struggle for the rights of women in tax related matters which culminated in the brief exile of Oba Ladapo Ademola (more on that story later).
When Gambo returned to Zaria, during a political lecture, many of the attendants (most of whom were male) refused to speak out for fear of political victimization, Gambo climbed unto the rostrum to speak, challenging everyone present. On that same day and a NEPU leader, Alhaji Gambo Sawaba (yup, namesake things) was to speak at that event, he was so impressed with her he gave her a nickname Sawabiya, which means the redeemer. Later on, the name was shortened to the more masculine version, Sawaba. And it stuck. Thus Hajaratu Amarteifo became Gambo Sawaba.
Hajia Sawaba continued with her rising political profile by going door to door to meet with women who were prevented from going to political activities because of the purdah. So effective was she and influential that the official and policies of the party are declared in a set of guidelines called the Sawaba doctrine of freedom and liberation, the Zaria branch, with Sawaba as one of its principal officers, also pursued a anti-corruption campaign.
The male dominated institutions of the day did not particularly appreciate this female who refused to understand that her place was, at best, one step away from the kitchen. She ended up in jail a lot of time, was often harassed, sometimes beaten up and otherwise hassled. Her first political incident with the law occurred in Kano where she was sent to help NEPU with canvassing for women support. As soon as the reports of her activities reached the emir, she was arrested and tried by an Alkali court. She was convicted and sent to prison where she accused a warden thought to be a lesbian (no comments about US’ new legislation people, them matter na them matter) was misusing her powers. Sawaba somehow made enough noise to get the warden fired. After her release, she went public with the appalling prison conditions but that also got her and the reporter arrested again. She was later asked to leave Kano by the Emir.
Through the first republic, she continued with her political activities sometimes suffering humiliating punishments from opposition thugs. She supported women’s right to vote and was eventually elected leader of the national women’s wing of NEPU.

AWARDS, HONOURS, LAURELS AND RECOGNITIONS
In 1953, she organised an inaugural meeting of the women's wing in Kano city.
In July 1958, during NEPU's second congress, the women's wing decided to join up with the Nigerian Women's Union, which was under the leadership of Ransome-Kuti.






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