Men should have changing rooms too Have you ever gone to the men’s bathroom and seen a section for fathers to change diapers? I guess not. This shows you that so much needs to change for us to truly have a gender equal world. If you have followed me for quite some time now, you would know that I actively advocate for both parents to be actively involved in childcare. Of course, I recognize that different families have their dynamics and so I also encourage people to find what works for them even though I strongly believe partnership and division of labour work because I have seen couples practice it. My father was actively involved in our care and there are other men I have heard about as well.  That said, I have noticed that when a family chooses the path of joint partnership, it seems like society makes it a tad difficult for them – it really feels that way. Maybe because we have been used to doing things the old way, just how schools automatically assume that the pare

It is International Men’s Day today and to celebrate, I would love to feature one amazing man who is doing great things in this part of the world. His name is Allen Abu, the lead Volunteer at the One Boy Project. He is also a brand and communication manager, an entrepreneur, and a 2022, Carrington fellow. He is passionate about grooming the boy child and equipping them to live their best life – in a world that seems to think they are fine on their own. Here is what he has been up to and how much he has been able to achieve in a short time: 1. Can we meet you, please? Response:  My name is Allen Abu and but fondly called Allen Zito. I am the lead volunteer at The One Boy Project, an initiative that advocates for the boy child. I am a Brand and Communication manager, a social entrepreneur, and a 2022 Carrington Fellow. I am passionate about advocacy and human rights. I believe the world was designed for humans and the onion is on us to make it a better place. My mantra is ‘Live and let o

 Recently, I stumbled upon this social media post: the writer said that men have laptops, wrist watches, cars, and phones but don’t have any friends, and if Siri and Alexa ever become robots, it’s game over. This post got me thinking, why are things this way? Little wonder this year’s International Men’s Day is theme is #MakeTime4Mates and build better social connections by Making time for old mates. Why make time for old mates you may ask? Let me start by going down memory lane: Growing up, I always admired the way boys bonded and believed that it is slightly different from the way girls did. I saw them come together and stand by each other. Like soldiers on a mission, nothing could tear them apart. They would fight and make up almost immediately. They would raise their voices over nearly everything they disagreed on but the next minute, they were shaking hands and eating together. As we all got older, some things began to change. I noticed that most of my male friends an

  On the 6th of November, I hosted a Twitter chat with a Nigerian Soccer Player, Rasheedat Ajibade with the theme Kicking Through Football’s Glass Ceiling. The aim of this is so that many young girls will see a young woman igniting her puissance to live her dream. We believe in the growth of female football. We know we still have quite a long way to go but we believe that every action we take is like a drop of water in the larger ocean of change. In the words of Rose Reilly, a former Scottish footballer in the 1970s, “The comparison from when I started playing football and the ladies’ football of today is like night and day”. The change might not be spontaneous but gradual and we look forward to a day when female football will be like the dawn of the day. This might not be for now but even for generations to come. We keep pushing. I believe that many young girls will be inspired by Rasheedat Ajibade’s story. Rasheedat Ajibade is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward

  For the International Day of the Girl Child, I am grateful for the gift of men. Since I began in 2017, I have not physically attended any editions because I am most times outside Nigeria. Thank you to everyone who has been holding down the fort and pulling this through over the past six years in my absence Programme Report This year’s IDG was celebrated with a programme tagged along the global theme, “Our Time is now -Our Rights, Our Future”. The event was held at BNI Youth Centre, U&I Building, Opposite Idia Hall, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Nigeria. Over 100 people were in attendance at the program.  The program started with an opening prayer by one of the teachers present. Afterwards, the welcome address by me was read by the moderator, Oluwaseyi Ndoh. After the Welcome Address, as a result of the partnership with Pure Teens Network, Miss Happy Tanko gave a talk about Menstrual hygiene and menstrual hygiene practices. Sanitary Pads courtesy of Pure Teens Network were distrib

Hilary Clinton said, ‘it is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided.” Today is the International Day of the Girl Child and the theme for this year is; Our time is now—our rights, our future. As a girl child, it is high time you told yourself you can be the best. It is high time you came out of the illusion that you belong to the kitchen or the background. You are gold, you have great value. You are capable of doing anything you put your mind to. So, now is the time for you to pursue your dreams. Yes, your time is now! Now is the time to rise above mediocrity and be the girl of high repute which you have desired to become. It is true that you may have thought of being the best at what the society considers ‘not a girl’s thing’. Perhaps society has a different thing to say about your dream. While your passion says yes, the system and society says no. One

It is another edition of the International Day of the girl and this year’s theme is “Our Time is Now, Our Rights, Our Future”. This International day of the girl is a day set aside to champion girl child advocacy and is globally observed on October 11th of every year. The first edition was celebrated in 2012 and today marks the 10thyear anniversary: 10 years of goodness. 10 years of empowering the girl child. The journey has been an interesting one and we have impacted a lot of values in the girl child. Today we will be looking at a very key aspect of our lives: taking that step now even if it is against societal bias. Girls all over the world face a lot of challenges. Most of these challenges seem to be more within some parts of the world, most especially in African nations. Thanks to living in a society that has created an imaginary box, put the girl child inside, and wrapped her up with a warning never to step out of this box of gender limitations. However, adversity breeds resilien