Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed with little Hawa’u and her dad, right
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Four months after her genital was mutilated by two persons in Jama’are, headquarters of Jama’are LGA of Bauchi State, 6 years old Hawa’u has been healed and discharged and reunited with her family to start life all over again.
Little Hawa’u who was looking healthy and happy was handed over to Bauchi state Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir at the Government House who said that, “I am really delighted to see my little Hawa’u back as a normal person, an innocent six-year-old that was mercilessly mutilated in her genitals and rooted and today we are receiving her, it’s a miracle that she’s a normal person, so, we must thank God almighty for this”.
A happy Bala Mohammed said that, “The Commissioner of Health has said all the stages of her reconstruction, all the surgeries were successful God has answered our prayers; it is not everyone that can be so lucky like little Hawa’u”.
The Governor added that, “The travails of this baby is the whole reflection of our deterioration as a society and our descent as a people. It is with a mixed feeling that I meet her, because if somebody will see this innocent girl and then carry knives and cutlasses and then uproot her precious body just because of cultism or voodism or whatever, it is very unfortunate.
“I am calling on the corporate Nigerians especially our people to know that there is a day of judgement and this day of judgement is not after we die only, even from here, this act of savagery, it is so dehumanizing, the government cannot do it alone, our communities must stand up”, he lamented.
He advised that, “And the parents, must make sure that they don’t allow little Hawa’u to be alone or to be sent on errands or to be out of school. The father must know this, he has a responsibility and all of us parents”.
He added that, “For the parents, I am urging you to make sure that you take care of her because she is now a global person, she is no longer your daughter only, the Nigerian and international communities are looking and that is why we will watch her development because she may have complications any complications that arise later we are going to take care of them”.
The Governor pointed out that, “We have spent very little money but to those that I will appreciate very much after God is the medical team and the philanthropist who went out of their shared concern to deposit money, women NGOs and all the groups who have shown interest including the international community”.
He stressed that, “That she has been able to come out well is an attestation that our medical systems are working, all we need to do is to just show some seriousness. I wouldn’t believe that this is the same girl that was almost on the verge of being taken to the grave that is sitting down with us.
“On behalf of the state government, I wish to convey our appreciation to the medical team especially the management of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for performing such a feat, definitely there’s hope for all of us. I’ll have time to meet with the management (of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital) and see what we can do also here to establish a paediatric section. And I want our own paediatric section at the Teaching Hospital to be named Hawa’u ward”, he assured.
Bala Mohammed assured that, “This is just to make sure that this experience is given some indelible marks and of course we are going to put in keen interest in the growth and development of Hawa’u from the Ministry of Women Affairs”.
He added that, “We are taking over her responsibility of education from primary to the tertiary level and I want us to discuss this even at the state executive council so that if I go this good gesture will not diminish” .
He declared that, “The government has set up a small unit under the Commissioner of Police and our own Security department here, we are going after such obnoxious people. You will recall that we were even in Jema’are in one of the houses where such things are done and we have dealt with them according to the law. We are going after them in Dass and in other places where we know some immoralities surrounding this kind of a thing are going on”.
He assured that, “We will not rest on our oars until we make the society safe for all of us. All the black joints in the state are under watch, they are known by the security agencies. We have been complacent about it but today we are not. I want to assure the people of Bauchi that security is a major concern and this is part of security and that we will do everything to make them safe and secure not only from bandits, armed robbers and the rest but from cultists and all those obnoxious people”.
Earlier while presenting Hawa’u and her parents to the Governor, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Aliyu Maigoro Mohammed said that, “We moved to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital where she was admitted. Barely two days after the incident, we visited her and upon your directives, you gave a total sum of N1 million to be deposited for her care” .
The Commissioner added that, “Your excellency, since 3rd of January, Hawawu has undergone almost three stage surgeries from the debridement of wound to perennial reconstruction surgery where the whole of the perennial was repaired as well as skin grafting. The team of surgeons including paediatric surgeons gynecologist plastic surgeons and urologists attended to this patient moving from gynaecology ward to urology Ward and finally to the paediatric wards”.
Aliyu Maigoro added that, “Your excellency, throughout her stay in the hospital, we paid four visits to her while she was on admission, one of such visit was a team of the media crew where we had a full media coverage of her recovery processes” .
“We thank God almighty for this 65 days she spent on admission every step of her surgery was very successful and on Tuesday 6th of April she was discharged because she had fully recovered with no sign of infections or complications. Her skin grafting was very good with no rejection, no scaring, no hypertrophy scar, it was a very successful surgery, the Commissioner explained.
He said that The management of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital called on the Ministry of Health that since it admitted the patient, it will have to come and take the patient saying, “We are bringing them to you to appreciate you for all these good gestures that you have done to them which is very humane and really sympathizing” .
He also said that the Governor directed that N1 million be deposited for her surgery adding that a philanthropist also paid N100,000 and by the time the ledger was closed, she had a refund of N260,020 stressing that, “Your excellency, without your support, the care of this patient would have been terrible because to get N100,000 these days is very difficult let alone N1 million”.
He said that, “On behalf of the state government and the Ministry of Health, we want to extend our appreciation to the Chief Medical Director, the medical team and entire management of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, for their expertise as professionals in the care of these young child”.
“From the Ministry of Health, we are handing her over to the Ministry of Women Affairs for her social support and as well as social integration to the society”, the Commissioner concluded.
It will be recalled that sometime in December 2020, little Hawa’u was lured to an uncompleted building in Jama’are by two people who mutilated and cut off her female genital for ritual purposes, she thereafter rushed to Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital in Kano for treatment at the instance of the State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir.
