Late Nafisa Abdulkarim
By Abdulhakeem Abdulganiyu
When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of prince.” – Shakespeare
The ephemeral and uncertainty of this life is scaring – you are here today, you are gone tomorrow. Our Tauraruwa is gone, NAFKARIM has left us!
Our very own Nafisa Abdulkarim, Tauraruwa (a Star), an enigma, a girl and women right advocate, the ever smiling Hijabi sister, a trusted colleague, our Editor-in-Chief, a voracious reader, an astute journalist… Indeed, from Allah we come to Him is our return!
While in the University, during our final year, to be specific, Tauraruwa boldly spearheaded our Newspaper production; as the Editor-in-Chief of Bayero Beacon, a Mass Communication campus news. I was the editor, together with the editorial crew, we visited major Media Organisations in Kano. Despite the controversial leadership tussles, she boldly accepted to lead the team, we succeeded, through her doggedness and determination. We toured major Media organisations in Kano seeking for interviews with top media personalities. She was a stickler to time.
As fate will have it, after our graduation we both did our NYSC in Kano after she was redeployed from Bauchi State in 2013, due to rising insecurities in North East States then, we were both part of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) as our Community Development Service (CDS). I was voted as the President of MDGs while she emerged the Public Relation Officer (PRO).
As NYSC required, We went to different schools to explain the MDGs, emphasising the need for education, especially girl child education. Nafisa, had ocean of ideas, never got tired of speaking to young stars… A true Tauraruwa, an activists Par-excellence.
After our NYSC, I recalled we applied for a job opening in Cool Fm Kano, around the same period, Arewa24 (a Cable Satellite Television) started operations in Kano, we both applied, but she got the job and went on to be a leading presenter in the station, with her Tauraruwa show, that focused on the most vulnerable genders in Northern Nigeria (women and children). Despite her growing popularity, Nafisa detested the fame that comes with Television journalism, she preferred a private life, never a social media freak!
Years later, she left Arewa24 to focus on her NGO called Ninvolve: which was aimed at “Help[ing] aspiring entrepreneurs move their ideas to start ups, from start ups to income generating businesses”. Basically targeting vulnerable women. Such was Nafisa, who believed in touching lives.
During my long five tedious years of doing my Master’s Degree, she will send me words of encouragement when I almost gave up the research, ‘hang in there’, she wrote. I felt energized, she was an inspiration and motivator.
As one good turn deserves another, she also enrolled for MSc, focusing on gender related media topic, her area of interest, I also helped to make some editings on her chapter four. Such was how friendly and trusting Tauraruwa was, now she is gone!
Our last chat was a link she sent to me on a PhD scholarship abroad. She was empathic on the need for me to try it out. Nafisa got a big heart, she wants every body smile like she does, happy as she does; she cried with those that cried…she left the world with a smile! Her memory lingers, her moving but lifeless videos on YouTube will be the only place we will see her smiles, hear her talk…we are saddened, heartbroken but alas, our time is also ticking!
Rest on Nafisa! may Allah console your three lovely children, your dearest husband, mother, siblings and give all us, (Class of 2012) the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. May Aljanna be your final abode! Ameen
For more stories, follow us on Facebook @Nigerian Kicker.
