“Girls and women make up more than half of the 36.7 million people living with HIV. Ending AIDS by 2030 requires that we address girls' and women's diverse roles by putting them at the centre of the response.” – Joint United Nations on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). In Nigeria today, there are over 3.1 million people living…

Recently a television show anchor Morayo Afolabi-Brown was slated for remarks a lot of her critics found disparaging and damaging to her husband’s personal image.  “I absolutely trust my husband,” Afolabi-Brown said. “But I won’t take chances and have him bathe my daughter because whether we like it or not, there is something flying in…

"Not until the half of our population represented by women and girls can live free from fear, violence and everyday insecurity, can we truly say we live in a fair and equal world." — UN Secretary-General“ António Guterres The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 2018, was commemorated with the theme -…

On November 5, the Lagos chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) endorsed former Commissioner for Works, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, as the running mate to its governorship candidate in 2019, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The Chairman of the party’s Lagos Chapter, Mr Tunde Balogun, described Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as an incredible team that would amplify development…

When Nigeria’s Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister Audu Ogbeh launched the National Gender Action Plan (NGAP) on Agriculture in October, the idea was to upgrade women from the realm of subsistence farming to medium scale and commercial farming. The figures provided by the minister at the launch showed that Nigeria has 95% subsistence farmers, 50%…

Seyi Alaka, a student of Oshodi Comprehensive High School failed part of her 2018 Junior Secondary School  BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination) because some of the exams were written when she was on her menstrual cycle. She would have loved to write her exams when her mates did. But her parents’ inability to buy her…

Four of the world’s top 10 countries regarding women’s political representation in governance are Rwanda, Seychelles, Senegal and South Africa. Yet, it is distressing that the most populous country on the continent, Nigeria, cannot boast of 35 percent minimum representation for women who account for 50 percent of its electorate. Earlier this year in May,…

Smile Nigeria, leading 4G LTE telecommunications service provider has taken steps to further delight its teeming customers, to signpost the festive season in a most customer friendly manner. This time around, the company has introduced the All-in-One SIM offer in such a manner that customers can connect and enjoy free Smile to Smile voice &…

“Though I still struggle with tramadol sometimes, I don’t take codeine and alcohol again said 17-year-old Halima who started abusing drugs when she was in JSS 2. Halima’s voice reverberates with a renewed hope and courage to look to the future. She credits this continuing mental makeover to the mental health care and rehabilitation she…

When the Confederation of African Football first officially organised a continental football championship for women footballers in 1998, Nigeria played the big brother by hosting the tournament and by dint of hard work won the competition. Prior to that inaugural Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament in 1998, the tournament, which was known as…

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development says it is collaborating with United Nations to generate data of aged population in Nigeria towards enhancing the basic rights and privileges of senior citizens. Hajia Aisha Abubakar, Supervising Minister, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, made this known at SGA Africa, the maiden edition…

For Adamu Bello*, it was arduous understanding the waves of emotions hitting him and articulating how he felt to his parents and family was just an uphill task. “I have never heard anything about ‘mental health’ at home or school,” said the 16-year-old who was diagnosed with Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder (MADD) about a year ago. …