When you educate a woman you have educated an entire Nation – Dr. Hussaina Danjuma Goje
Gombe State Commissioner for Environment and Forest Resources, bears it all in this one stop interview with senior correspondent CHIMA AZUBUIKE
What is your name?
Dr. Hussaina Muhammad Danjuma Goje PhD.
What are your parents names?
My father’s name is Sen. Muhammad Danjuma Goje and Hajiya Aisha Abubakar
When and where were you born?
I was born in 1984, am from Kashere village in Akko Local Government Area in Gombe state.
What is your position in your family?
I’m the third born
Hobby?
Reading. Everyone knows my hobby is reading and I read everything. While I was growing up I was reading encyclopedia in the library as a primary school student, this continued to my secondary school years reading the famous fives, Sidney Sheldon’s books for my educational growth I read my text books. I’m basically a good reader
Where and what did you study?
I attended Child Valle Nursery and Primary school in Lagos state, as well as Gombe Children’s school and later proceeded for secondary school in Federal Government Girls College Bauchi and to University of Abuja to study Business Administration.
I went further for Masters in Bayero University Kano where I grabbed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
Later I proceeded to England in Nottingham specifically to do my PhD in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
So in totality what qualification do you have?
My highest qualification is a PhD, I have an MBA (masters), degree and other professional qualifications in project management
Do you have any business or enterprise before becoming commissioner for Environment?
My immediate past job was in the financial sector, I worked in Fiscal Responsibility Commission, in Abuja
When did you start?
I started work at Fiscal Responsibility Commission in 2010. However, prior to that job and since after my graduation in university in 2005. I had worked in various sectors including Oil and Gas specifically in Sao Tome and Principe. I worked in a private oil company Sanduff Oil and Gas LTD, during my PhD in the United Kingdom I worked as an associate lecturer for 400 level final year and masters students. I also worked with Nottingham Business School as a consultant for certain businesses.
Who compelled you to take the jobs?
No body did, it was a personal decision to move on with my career
Who is your mentor(s)
Smiles…I have two mentors actually. My mentor number one is my father Sen. Danjuma Goje and my husband Dr. Ibrahim Braham Boyi
What inspires you?
My faith in Allah as a Muslim is where I draw my inspiration from Prophet Mohammed to engender peace in the society and humanity.
What are your fears?
Human beings are bound to have certain fears but what I fear the most is Allah.
Any challenges/regrets in life?
I grew up with loving family, with relatives and now that I’m married I have a loving husband am very happy and essentially grateful to Allah. So in a nutshell I have no regrets.
How are you different from other women?
Dr. Hussaina Goje is not different or special from any other women. This is because I’m a daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother am like any other human being but however, we all have our goals in life and we pray to God so that he makes life easy for us and others around us. Perhaps the difference may be that I have full faith in Allah and anything I become is because that is what He has willed for me.
How do you relax, when you are not working?
After my prayers in between the five daily prayers especially the evening prayers I just sit on the mat with my family.
Best colour?
Green
Favourite meal?
Chicken and Salad
You will not remain a commissioner forever what are the plans in establishing a business in the future?
For me to be in this position is the will of Allah, so whatever Allah wills for me is sufficient for me.
How do you combine being commissioner with being a wife and a mother?
I try to balance it because this is not too new for me, I have being doing this since I started my masters and also as a PhD student. I stayed in the UK for over 4 years and I have being married since 2005. We have being coping with that by being able to balance my work and life. I dare say that I always give each member of my family the ample time required while working.
Advice to other women?
They should stand up for themselves, pray to Allah and whatever you have in your heart will come to pass, as long as you are on the right track. Ensure you are not doing anything to offend Allah, when you pray for it you will get it.
Women should be able to pursue career with regards to education, business. They should work towards becoming independent. You don’t necessarily have to go into one kind of business, politics or government. In a nutshell, there are several avenue that women can become successful, when there is also faith in oneself. Here I’m as a commissioner, with balance to both work and family. In many occasions I rely on Allah to help me. Anyone discouraging women from being independent, I don’t think they want their progress because when you educate a woman, you have educated a nation which is a popular saying because we the women are the mothers of the home we take care of our family; children and husband. So it is important for a woman to be broad minded and to be well educated.
