By: Mayen Etim
KADUNA, North-West, Nigeria – The Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), has said women are the direct victims of corrupt malpractices in the country because of their roles as mothers and wives.
The National Amira of FOMWAN, Hajiya Badiyya Sodangi made the assertion when she received in audience the Executive Director of The Just Foundation, Imam Fuad Adeyemi and his team, in her office in Kaduna Monday.
The Amira who was represented by her Deputy, Mallama Nafisatu Isa, said the menace of corruption has gone to a level that organizations like The Just Foundation must be supported in the fight. According to her, the fight against corruption should not be left with the government alone.
She added that as wives, some women’s husbands due to corruption have lost their means of livelihood either due to nonpayment of salaries or closure of working places.
She said this has resulted to the women having to take up the sole responsibilities of catering for the family which is an extra burden for them.
Hajiya Badiyya said Islam condemns corrupt practices in totality so The Just Foundation is fighting a cause enshrined in the scriptures.
The Amira also disclosed that one aspect of corrupt practices that is bothering FOMWAN today is drug abuse, especially among the youth and women. According to her, if not for corruption the drug addicts will not get access to illicit drugs.
She further disclosed that FOMWAN in its little way has been fighting corruption by sensitizing women on the negative impacts of corrupt practices, training them in skills acquisition to make them useful to themselves and the society; and provision of soft loans to help them establish in business.
The Amira stressed that FOMWAN will partner with any organization that is in the forefront of fighting corrupt practices in the nation; adding that The Just Foundation is at the right place at the right time.
In his remarks, Imam Adeyemi said the fight against corruption in Nigeria is everybody’s business because the menace has affected all aspects of the society and is gradually destroying the country if something urgent is not done.
He added that his organization decided to bring FOMWAN on board its campaign because of the high reputation of the Association among Muslim women in the country.
He asked FOMWAN to present five of its members who are to be trained in area of capacity building to fight corruption. Imam Adeyemi explained that the members will be trained on how to monitor budgets and projects locations that were given deadlines.
“After sensitizing your members, we will empower them to speak on the effects of corruption, and what they need to disseminate to the public so that when government is fighting corruption from above, your members will fight it from the home front,” he said.