A few days ago, Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected as Vice President of the United States. She makes history as the first woman to be elected Vice President.  Based on her descent, she is the first Black woman and the first American Indian woman to become elected to the second highest office in the US as well. This is a big win for women, people of color and for anyone who identifies with her one way or another.   This is a big win for me as a woman particularly because it shows the world that women can aspire to lead in countries as big as America. It shows me and every woman out there that women can be actively involved in politics, not just as a massive support system to help get people elected into offices but also as key players and active participants. It shows us that women can run for elections alongside other opponents and win. Kamala Harris’ win with Joe Biden is not just a win for women living in America alone. It is a win for women all over th...

 Many times, when some think about female leadership, they think about leading other women. There is still this ingrained societal construct that makes them see leadership as something that should happen only with other women involved. So, they expect women to lead units, head divisions or ministries that have to do with women or gender-related issues. This tends to limit them and make them less involved in other leadership capacities where they would have been good fits if they hadn’t boxed themselves. Once one is a gender advocate, their prayer for one is to become Minister of Women's Affairs. There are other positions within one's area of competence that one can fit in perfectly aside from that. The utmost is more competent women in power.   Women in leadership seem to also fall into that temptation where they feel the need to always talk about issues concerning women. They feel like whenever they’re speaking in public and whenever they are creating their vision, they shoul...

Gender advocacy has always been personal for me. I started advocacy because growing up, I had a lot of questions about my identity and about the stereotypes I saw in the society. It seemed like there were different sets of rules for guys and different sets of rules for girls, especially as regards career choices and leadership. I wondered why it was so. It seemed like women were limited or deterred from reaching certain heights and my heart rebelled against it. When I realized the truth about who I was and whom I was meant to be, I decided to help every young girl and young woman do the same.  My advocacy is centred around women shattering glass ceilings and rising above stereotypical limitations. I advocate for them to live purposeful and fulfilling without regard to limitations society has placed on their gender. I achieve this by organizing programs from time to time, using my social media and writing on my blogs.  All through my advocacy, people keep asking why I am just f...

 I am super excited to be honoured as one of the 60 Women Champions in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th independence by BusinessDay Nigeria's WOMEN’S HUB. Kindly click on the link https://businessday.ng/download/465629/ to download the full list of women.  

 About a month ago, I was discussing with a close friend. We talked about a lot of issues generally then we zeroed in on issues affecting women. As we talked, we got to the subject of women who haven’t had any children. It was a really intense and touching subject for both of us because of the things we’ve seen. Now, although I am still very young, I have seen a lot of stuff that I can’t seem to wrap my mind around.  Recently, I was in the midst of some people and they were talking about a woman who hadn’t given birth since she got married. This woman is someone who is stylish, loves dressing well and looking good. She is also well to do and can afford vacations and trips to different places. She’s also a very cheerful and down to earth person too. But the people talking about here felt she had no right to dress flamboyantly or walk about happily.  They kept saying she had no shame like it was her fault that children were not forthcoming. They felt like she doesn’t care a...

 Gender Equality is advocacy that involves both men and women. This is because men and women make up the society. You cannot establish or put a stamp on equality in society if both parties are not actively involved in this advocacy. This is why even though I champion the cause of female empowerment by helping girls and women shatter glass ceilings, break stereotypes and dismantle societal constructs, I shine my light on men who are equally doing the same for the male gender. Today, my focus is on Adeyemi Temidayo - the Executive Director and founder of The Catalyst Men Network Int'l. In this piece, he will be walking us through his advocacy journey - how it all began, what inspired him, the reception door far, the challenges he has encountered and how he has been able to weather the storms.  I suggest you grab a chilled drink, sit back and enjoy: Can we meet you, please? My name is Adeyemi Temidayo. I am the founder and Executive Director of The Catalyst Men Network Int’l, Lag...

 Growing up, Melissa was different from the rest of us. While other girls wanted to play house and build sandcastles, she memorized the current affairs and listened to the news. In primary school, she would argue with the boys in our class and take part in debates. Luckily, our school was gender-inclusive and so they let her be class captain because of how smart she was. At the end of every school year, she was always the leader of the year. No one cared about our welfare like she did. Melissa was always ready to fight for our rights. She always put others first. She loved to serve and never saw leadership as a tool for oppressing her peers.    In secondary school, her light shone brighter. Everyone knew what she stood for and she knew how to make her voice heard. We all admired her courage and outspokenness. Slowly, she was blossoming into a strong woman. Sometimes, I feared that she was too aggressive in her opinions. I also feared that she was unlike any lady I knew fo...