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Look beyond marriage, kitchen …Adiza Ibrahim Sadiq urges Muslim girls
Adiza Ibrahim Sadiq
The founder of the Zango Women Livelihood and Empowerment Programme, Mrs Adiza Ibrahim Sadiq, has urged Muslim girls to look beyond just getting married and performing kitchen duties.
Rather, she urged them to strive for education and be successful women in society and attain financial freedom.
Speaking to The Spectator, she said, though marriage was a good thing, young girls must acquire certain skills to ensure they contribute to sustain their homes.
“Typically, a young Zango (Muslim) girl would be looking forward to a man to come seek her hand in marriage, take her home, become the mother of his children and take care of the family without any skills to contribute financially,” she stated.
That narrative, she said, should change, as a young Muslim girl can attain education, get a profession and be married and assist in the running of the home.
“She must be a very supportive wife to the husband especially when things become tough for the man. That would bring some fulfillment as a woman,” she explained.
Mrs Ibrahim, who is also Head of Marketing and Media Relations Manager at Electroland Ghana Limited said she was committed to empowering Zango girls to take up the challenge of venturing into the working space, attain financial freedom and just like men, support their families.
“The idea is not to transfer power into the hands of women but rather make them resourceful to support their families and community at large,” she stressed.
According to her, the financial liberation of women would help them do better, improve upon their self-esteem and position themselves to take up leadership roles.
Issues of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and other social vices would become a thing of the past when young girls acquire skills that would let them stand on their own.
The future, she said, was bright for young girls and urged leaders in communities to come together and support the youth to become successful and contribute to national development.
“I look forward to a future where women can have financial power and get away from abusive relationships and do well on their own,” she stated.
By Michael D. Abayateye
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
