26th September, 2015
Femi Adi/Kaduna
Senator Shehu Sani has described the late Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf as a woman who lived an exemplary life of service and sacrifice to humanity.
Hajiya Bilkisu was among Nigerian Muslim pilgrims that died in the recent Saudi Arabia stampede.
Sani said in a press statement that Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, as the first woman Editor from Northern Nigeria, was a role model for northern women and a gift to the country and this generation.
According to him, she was equally a thorough professional with conscience; restless soul in the quest for human dignity, equity and justice.
He lamented that death has not just snatched the prolific writer and a dogged fighter, but has also taken out an outstanding pacesetter, a flame for women’s rights and a torch bearer for humanitarian service.
While the Senator Representing Kaduna North Central commended the role Bilkisu played as a silent rebel, who combated conventions, stereotype and triumphed, he said death might have taken her out of sight, but she rises and stands permanently in memory and conscience of Nigerians that appreciated her.
“We triumph over death when our lives become a journey of accomplishments in the service of God and humanity.
“Hajiya Bilkisu is free, free from the burdens and attributes of fears associated with mortality,” Sani stated.
Sani, who also described her as a treasure that was underutilize, expressed regrets that Nigerians belong to a nation where the living are wasted and the dead are eulogized.
“This is among the few climes in the world where you need to die to be noticed, recognized or be appreciated,” he stated.
He prayed that her gentle soul and those of others consumed in the tragedy rest in peace.