A photo of Hajiya Fatima Aminu Aliyu Garu, wife of Garu Aminu Aliyu, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, has sparked widespread discussion after it showed her distributing sugarcane sticks to young people. Aliyu represents the Bauchi Federal Constituency in Bauchi State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The viral image depicts the lawmaker’s wife alongside several children holding the sugarcane.
However, the exact time and location of this incident remain unclear.
An X user, @Abdoulrahmarn, shared the image with the caption: “Wife of Honorable Member Representing Bauchi State Federal Constituency Hajiya Fatima Aminu Aliyu Garu doing an empowerment program for some youths last week.” At the time of this report, no response had been received from the lawmaker’s office, despite a message sent to his official Facebook page.
Instances of politicians or their families making such symbolic donations are not new in Nigeria. There is a history of public officials distributing unusual items in the name of empowering their communities. Some past donations have included tricycles, motorcycles, grinding machines, sachet water, and even shoe-shining kits.
SaharaReporters has previously covered similar stories, including when donkeys were given out in Kano and cassava stems in Anambra, also labeled as “economic empowerment” programs.
In another instance, an aide to former Benue State governor Samuel Ortom handed out wheelbarrows inscribed with “Gov Ortom for You,” arguing that beneficiaries could use them to hawk goods and run errands. This same initiative was replicated in Taraba State when Maigari Bello-Kasimu, a House of Representatives member for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing federal constituency, distributed wheelbarrows to his constituents. According to Bello-Kasimu’s spokesperson, Saidu Na-Anabi, “Many of them used to hire wheelbarrows, but now they own their own, which helps them earn a living.”
Other empowerment efforts have included the late Chinwe Ugwu, caretaker chairperson of Nsukka Local Government Area in Enugu State, who provided wheelbarrows to local youths, asserting that many could not afford to buy them outright and had to rent them for between N200 and N300 per day.
In Kano State, former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje allocated N208 million for an empowerment project targeting tea sellers, gifting them items like cartons of noodles, crates of eggs, bread, and beverages, among others.
Similarly, in Katsina State, the late Commissioner for Education, Halimatu Idris, distributed goats to female students in 20 secondary schools, with the expectation that these goats would be returned to the government after a year.
Most recently, Senator Rufai Hanga of Kano Central Senatorial District handed out 5,000 white cloth pieces and clay pots to his constituents, intended for burial purposes. Ginger Onwusibe, representing Isialangwa North and South constituency in Abia State at the National Assembly, marked his first year in office by distributing cassava stems, yams, and other seedlings to his constituents.
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