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 l...

 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 friend...

  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 for...

  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 wer...