Oyo First Lady Leads Renewed Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence
•••Calls For Stronger Institutions, Grassroots Vigilance
•By OYENIYI AWOJOODU
IBADAN – THE Wife of the Oyo State Governor and Vice-Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum, Engr. (Mrs.) Tamunominini Makinde, has launched a renewed statewide advocacy campaign against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), calling for stronger institutional commitment, grassroots vigilance and a decisive shift in harmful social norms.
She made the call on Wednesday in Ibadan during a two-day programme organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum in partnership with the Ford Foundation.
The programme, themed “Advocacy for Prevention: Shifting Social Norms and Strengthening State Commitment to End Gender-Based Violence,” brought together traditional rulers, religious leaders, wives of local government chairmen, security agencies and civil society organisations.
Addressing stakeholders, Mrs. Makinde described GBV as a persistent reality affecting women and children across communities in Oyo State.
“These are not fiction. These are real-life narratives,” she said, recounting her early exposure to GBV cases at the beginning of the current administration’s first tenure experiences she said strengthened her commitment to prevention and survivor support.
“Every society is shaped by the values it protects and the behaviours it corrects. Sexual and gender-based violence thrives where silence is mistaken for culture and where harm is excused as tradition,” she stated.
Declaring that abuse must never be justified under cultural or disciplinary pretexts, the First Lady added: “Violence is not culture. Abuse is not discipline. Protecting women and girls does not weaken society; it strengthens it.”
She urged traditional and religious leaders to leverage their influence in challenging harmful norms, noting that community transformation often begins with trusted voices.
“When you speak, communities listen. When you act, the norms shift. This town hall meeting is not about blame but about shared responsibility,” she said.
Mrs. Makinde also charged wives of local government chairmen to take proactive roles in early detection, prevention and referral at the grassroots level.
“You stand at the intersection of governance and community. You see patterns before they become statistics. Your role is not confrontation but conversation; not accusation but education; not judgment but leadership,” she advised, urging them to serve as champions who guide victims toward justice and available support systems.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, described gender-based violence as a public health emergency with far-reaching physical and psychological consequences.
“Gender-based violence is not just a social problem; it is a public health emergency. It affects the body, the mind, the dignity and the future of victims,” she said.
Ajetunmobi reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening psychosocial services, emergency medical response, documentation and referral systems.
“No survivor should be re-traumatised by the very system meant to provide help,” she added.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Toyin Balogun, commended the First Lady’s leadership and sustained advocacy efforts, noting that prevention begins with awareness.
“When communities understand the law, the available support systems and the dangers of silence, we move closer to ending gender-based violence,” she said.
640 Cases Reported in 12 Months
Chairman of the Oyo State GBV Rapid Response Team, Mr. Marcus Williams, revealed that nearly 640 cases had been reported in the past 12 months.
“Our response structure is decentralised across local governments, enabling prompt action,” he said, adding that strengthening public reporting platforms would further improve efficiency.
Former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Christiana Abioye, highlighted cultural barriers that discourage reporting.
“Because of our social norms and traditions, many survivors are told to keep silent. That is why cases are underreported, even though they are prevalent,” she said.
Traditional institutions also pledged support. The Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola, called for deeper grassroots penetration of the advocacy and discouraged out-of-court settlements in GBV cases.
“This campaign must reach the villages and remotest communities. We must also discourage out-of-court settlements that prevent the law from taking its course,” he said.
The event featured the unveiling of advocacy tools, stakeholder dialogues and community engagement sessions aimed at strengthening prevention frameworks and survivor protection systems across Oyo State.