Olaoluwa Abagun is a Nigerian lawyer, Feminist, and a Vocal Girls' Rights Advocate, nurturing a dynamic generation of African Girls. She is the Founder of the Girl Pride Circle Initiative, a notable girl NGO situated in Nigeria, she holds the position of Executive Director at ATHENA, a global feminist network dedicated to promoting gender equality and upholding human rights .

Early life and education

Abagun was born in Lagos, she graduated from

Queen's College, Lagos Queen's College, Lagos, is a government-owned girl's secondary (high) school with boarding facilities, situated in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Often referred to as the "sister college" of King's College, Lagos, it was founded on October 10, 1927, when ...

, in 2008 where she received the "Outstanding Service to College Life Award" as the Deputy Head-Girl of the college. Shortly after, she proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University where she obtained her degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) Degree, and she however pursued a Master of Arts degree in Gender and Development at the Institute of Development Studies,

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. She identifies as a Christian. Abagun was born in an inter-religious family. Her father is a Muslim, while her mother is a Christian. She is the only female child of her parents' four children. Growing up, she described her childhood as being treated the same as her brothers, as her parents treated her with little form of gender consciousness. In another interview, she revealed that her parents unknowingly set her on the path of feminism. She traced her passion for human rights to a speech on understanding the child rights act when she was 13. At 15, she met with the then Governor

Babatunde Fashola Babatunde Raji Fashola ( yo, Bàbátúndé Rájí Fáṣọlá; born 28 June 1963) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician currently serving as the Federal Minister of Works and Housing of Nigeria. He served two terms as Governor of Lagos State f ...

and his cabinet, and she was rewarded with a computer. Abagun described this event as an encouraging factor in her determination for pursuing women's advocacy.

Activism

Before graduating with a law degree in 2015, Abagun wrote articles centered on women's issues, and was a 2014 finalist at the "Africa Youth Day Essay Competition" for her work titled ''Policies on the Empowerment of Young Women in Africa: The Missing Piece in the African Jigsaw''. She also created "Girl Pride Circle", an organization that fights for the rights of women in Nigeria. In March 2016, at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the empowerment of girls, she launched ''Safe Kicks Initiative: Adolescent Girls Against Sexual Violence'', which aims to train victims of sexual violence and women in general on how to defend themselves physically through learning

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

. By July 2016, she was reported to be training over 250 female teenagers through this project. She also became the only Nigerian to be awarded monetary grant from ''Women Deliver'' organization. Abagun Olaoluwa also addressed the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly with a speech on gender issues. In July 2017, she was selected as one of the six "exceptional" Nigerians to discuss on the topic ''Fast Forward: Preparing the World to Come'' with members of UK parliament. She noted that she would put effort in ensuring "gender equality", and increase the political consciousness of Nigerian women through advocating for better welfare, education and government policies. On feminism, she described it as "ensuring everyone, both male and female deserves ample space to explore their full potentials", while re-echoing the statement of

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "the most prominent" of a "procession of criticall ...

that "we all should be feminist". She also noted that people should not be seen with emphasis on gender in mind. She defined feminism as "an ideology that simply champions equal socio-economic opportunities for all, regardless of gender", noting that "it is not a battle of the sexes" as being misconstrued by many. In January 2018, she voiced her discontent about the lack of interest in politics from Nigerian women, admonishing them to partake in the

Nigerian general election, 2019 General elections were held in Nigeria on 23 February 2019 to elect the President, Vice President, House of Representatives and the Senate. The elections had initially been scheduled for 16 February, but the Electoral Commission postponed the ...

. After being awarded the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2019, Olaoluwa took an active role at Girl Pride Circle GPC, where she played a key role in designing, mobilizing resources for, and implementing the 'Zero Tolerance to Sexual Violence in Religious Communities' project. This initiative sought to empower religious leaders in Lagos State, Nigeria, encouraging them to recognize their pivotal role in aligning with the National Gender Policy and working towards the elimination of sexual violence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abagun, Olaoluwa Living people Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Nigerian feminists Nigerian women lawyers People from Lagos State Nigerian women activists Lawyers from Lagos Nigerian women's rights activists Nigerian Christians Sexual abuse victim advocates Queen's College, Lagos alumni 21st-century Nigerian lawyers 1992 births 21st-century women lawyers Alumni of the University of Sussex