MALAMA, Alexandria Diana Ladi Shehu

Girls School andlbo Union Schoolboth inKano and later inGovernment Girls school, Sokoto. AtKaduna, soe was Headmistress of our Lady's High School, then taught atSt. Michael's Primary School before taking up appointmentatSt. Peter's Teachers College laterknowasKaduna 7eachers College inKawo. During thisperiod Malama Ladi Shehu hadpioneered the writing of the Women'spage in the Niperian Citizen theforerunner of NewNigerian Newspaper. She wa writer expounding on such issues as the total emancip of womenfrom cultural bondage and the right of women to education especially in North? • She also wrote with suchfavour that her articles made . lishment very uncomfoti Malama I^adi was also a pioneer inproducing andpresenting women and children'sprogrammes both on the NBCandRTKwavelengths. She joinedthe Sokoto CivilService in 1969 andtaught atSokoto Teacher's College, Government Girls College Sokoto and helpedto startthe GovernmentGirls Secondary School, Talata mafara as itsfirstPrindpalfrom 1972 1975. in 1976, she moved on secondment to help start the Woman and Children's unitfo theNTA Sokoto. She retiredfrom the Civil Service voluntarily in1980tostartthe verypopularDedeNursery School Malama ladi Shehu willalways be remembered asthe indefatigable crusader of women's rights. She was not only a memberofNEPU, but the National GeneralSecretary of the women's wing of theparty working closely with Malam AminuKano. She was the onlywoman who appearedbefore theWRUNK'sCommission andadvocatedfor Universal Adult Suffering insisting that the voting rights of women should be constitutionally guaranteed so asto enable them participatefullypolitics. Hermemoradan beforethe Willink's Commission, encapsulated thisandotherminority issues. Despite hertight schedule, Malama LadiShehufound time toserve Godactively, helping tostartthe Hausa Section of the Holy Trinity Cathedral She wasaBishop'snomineeforseveralyears, alicensedLayReader, TreasurerfortheSokoto branch ofCANaswellasthe Presidentof the State's ChapterofCAN'sWomen Wing. The Church inLokoja made hertheir "Sardauna"hencethe Chieftaincy title. She diedinthefamily bouseinSokoto onMarch 4,1992 afteranindustrious, selfless, honestandbumblelife.