A prominent politician in Nasarawa State, Hajiya Hajara Ibrahim Danyaro has made her mark in the political landscape of Nasarawa State and the country at large. As a seasoned politician with hands-on experience in the game of politics, Hajiya Danyaro, has through the years, demonstrated her ability to wade through the murky waters of politics and to grow from strength to strength.

Born in 1972, Hajiya Danyaro, the Garkuwan Matan Nasarawa, is a political Amazon who has continued to give her selfless contributions towards good governance and enhancing party politics. She is among the few women that have withstood relentless persecution and discrimination, especially in a patriarchal society such as Nasarawa State.

Hajiya Danyaro is a five-term special adviser to successive administrations in Nasarawa State. She was appointed commissioner at the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC), as well as the pioneer chairman of the state’s agency for adult and non formal education.

She was a member of the taskforce inauguration committee for Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura back in 2011. Hajiya Danyaro, who holds a professional fellowship doctorate from the Nigerian Institute of Economics, was subsequently appointed as a member of the inauguration committee after Senator Al-makura was re-elected governor in 2015.

For a woman that has defied stereotyping, she served as a two-term member of the Amirul Hajj team for Nasarawa State from 2012 to 2013. Hajiya Danyaro was also state coordinator APC Presidential Campaign Initiative in 2015. She was equally the director women mobilization Ta’al Campaign Organisation from 2010-2019. Presently, she is the director women mobilization A.A Sule Campaign Council.

Boisterous and always eager to serve, Hajiya Danyaro has been severally recognized by many corporate and community associations, both locally and internationally for her commitment and doggedness in the pursuit of the good of the common people.

In May, 2008, she received the Ambassador for Peace Award from the Universal Peace Federation. She was also the recipient of the Zik Legacy Price of True Leadership Merit Award in 2015, as well as the Africa Women Nation Builder Award by the African Gold International Communication, amongst others.

Hajiya Danyaro holds several traditional titles awarded to her in recognition of her commitment to better the lots of the common people. Some of these revered traditional titles include, the Garkuwan Matan Nasarawa, Mabudin Matan Lafia, Tauraruwar Loko, Magajiyan Agatu Chiefdom and Tafisun Ara chiefdom.

Like the true politician that she is, Hajiya Danyaro is fully aware that the only way she can exploit her leadership potentials and to actually serve her people in a capacity that will bring more dividends of democracy and development, will be only when she is elected into the hallow chamber of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly.

For that reason and since the dawn of democracy in 1999, Hajiya Danyaro has always seized at the opportunity as she hearkens to the yearning and aspirations of her people, to throw her hat into the political ring.

In this regard, she contested twice to represent her Nasarawa Central state constituency at the state assembly in 2015 and 2019, albeit without success.

Undaunted, Hajiya Danyaro continued to give her best politically and to have remained a rallying force through successive administrations. She kept her focus on her goal, refusing to be dissuaded by the rising discrimination against women like them who are outstanding and are adequately prepared for leadership.

At the formative stage of the birth of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the state level, it’s on record that Hajiya Danyaro, just like any politician worth his salt, contributed towards to uptake of the party. Specifically, she donated 30 custom made chairs to the state secretariat of the party.

Similarly, she repeated same gesture at both the ward and local government structures of the party, using her initiative to ensure that party structure existed for the smooth running of political activities.

Her records of achievements across the seven electoral wards of Nasarawa Central state constituency are visible for all to see. During the last three elections in which she contested, Hajiya Danyaro undertook the construction and rehabilitation of water boreholes in Angwan Girku and Kofar Adamu Auta Police Station Nasarawa.

Notably also, she empowered 100 women with ten thousand naira each, another 70 women were trained on poultry production, constructed 30 pieces of desk for the Nasarawa central primary school, the grading and expansion of Cemetery Road, as well as sponsoring the Garkuwa Unity Cup for youths in the area to exploit their skills in sports.

Now, with the gong already sounded for the 2023 general election, Hajiya Danyaro is back into the trenches to continue where she stopped as far as her aspiration to represent Nasarawa Central constituency at the state assembly is concerned.

Having been appointed twice by the present administration of His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule as special adviser, Hajiya Danyaro was the most senior and naturally the leader of all the special advisers. But she resigned her appointment once again, in line with the dictates of the new electoral law that requires all political appointees to resign if they aspire for any elective position.

Conscious of the overriding political discrimination against mostly women like her, she still braved the odds, to join the race to represent her constituency at the state assembly. For Hajiya Danyaro, her determination to serve her people overrides any fear of rejection by a society that views leadership by women as alien.

It’s not for any wanting that she couldn’t be elected in the past. It’s simply because Hajiya Danyaro is a woman. A prominent politician from her constituency who spoke under the condition of anonymity, described Hajiya Danyaro as the most experienced and most qualified aspirant to represent the constituency at the state assembly.

“Give it to her. Politically, she is the most suited to represent the constituency out of all the aspirants. She has been consistent and she is a politician to reckon with. But her only challenge is that she is a woman,” the source stated.

Also speaking, another top politician from the Nasarawa West senatorial zone and Managing Director of the Nasarawa State Urban Development Board, Engr. Yahaya Wada, pointed out that with national and global agitation for the increase in participation and involvement of more women in politics and governance, there is every need to give the likes of Hajiya Danyaro opportunity to fly the flag of the party ahead of the 2023 general election.

Indeed, Nigeria as a member of the United Nations signed and ratified the various relevant international instruments, treaties and conventions without reservation, which have always emphasized that member nations put in place all the necessary mechanisms needed to eliminate gender discriminations, ensure equality and human dignity to all, men and women.

Pundits are of the view that gender-based discriminations persist in our democracy in spite of the fact that a National Gender Policy has been formulated to promote a 35 percent affirmative action for women – a policy that demands 35 percent involvement of women in all governance processes. The national Gender Policy (NGP) has formulated a 35% Affirmative Action (AA) in Nigeria since 2006. This policy demands that 35% of women be involved in all governance processes. The NGP is recognized but is not practiced as the structures and processes to use are not in place.

Only recently, a Federal High Court in Abuja, ordered the federal government to enforce the National Gender Policy by allotting 35 per cent of appointments in the public sector to women, after a nongovernmental organisation, Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), filed the suit against the Nigerian government, seeking the implementation of the 35 per cent Affirmative Action in appointments of women into public office.

Again, only recently, in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), an umbrella body for women, Nasarawa State chapter, staged a peaceful protest demanding for more inclusion of women in governance in the state.

Led by their president, Mrs Mary Samuel Meshi, the women who took to the streets in protest beseeched the state assembly complex carrying placards with different inscriptions such as ‘inclusion for Women’, ‘Break Constitution Bias’, ‘the future is female’ among others.

In fact, the case of Hajiya Danyaro readily comes to mind, since from all indications, she possessed the experience and necessary qualifications to represent her constituency at the state assembly. She has done even better than most of the male aspirants as she has the backing and support of her people. Her only constraint is she is a woman.

Stakeholders, party leaders and officials in Nasarawa State and Nasarawa Local Government Area in particular, should see reason to give their daughter, wife, mother, aunt and sister in the person of Hajiya Hajara Danyaro, the opportunity to fly the flag of the APC for Nasarawa Central constituency, to pave the way for her to be elected into the Nasarawa State House of Assembly.