Nuhu-Aken’ova, a gender activist from Niger states, has revealed how her NGO, the international center for sexual reproductive rights, has been instrumental in helping girls stay in school across Nigeria’s Northern region, Particularly in her home state of Niger. Nuhu-Aken’ova explained that girls in the north often face challenges that push them to leave school for early marriage and other vocations. She emphasized that her NGO has been dedicated to ensuring these girls can continue their education.
speaking to journalists about the NGO’s initiatives, The former presidential candidate in the 2023 general election highlighted that “INCREASE” has supported school-aged children by providing sanitary towels and other incentives to keep them focused on their studies. She also discussed her efforts to protect women’s sexual reproductive health and combat the prevalence of HIV and gender-based violence, issues that predominantly affect women.
We have distributed sanitary towels to school girls in Niger state, other Northern states, and girls in internally displaced people’s homes to ensure they do not drop out of school due to this challenge.
“Thanks to our donors, we can provide these sanitary Towels to schools.
” We also collaborate with IDP camps from Borno to Niger, training individuals to work with internally displaced people. These efforts were primarily funded through individual donations.
Currently, there are projects in Niger State serving the same population. my role involved establishing access rights to services by removing barriers, including stigma and discrimination, to ensure the safety of our pregnant women and prevent children from being born with HIV. I achieved these with the help of NAKA at the federal level, SACA at the state level, and LACA at the local government level” she emphasized.
The gender activist turned politician clarified a misleading social media report, stressing that since the NGOs inception in 2000, its activities have aligned with Nigeria’s constitution and have not violated any laws.
Nuhu-Aken’ova dismissed the social media report linking the organization to Anti-cultural and religious practices as false, asserting that the malicious report aimed to tarnish the reputation of the organization, which has been providing humanitarian services for many years.
she stated that the organization has closed its office in Niger state Due to threats to staff members’ lives following the social media report. The issue has been reported to the appropriate authorities for action. She noted that the NGO has been working to assist victims of all forms of violence and violence against persons, as well as helping to keep girls in school.
Nuhu-Aken’ova recounted how she became a presidential aspirant, highlighting that the NGO has been at the forefront of advocating For youth involvement in politics.
“I ran for the Presidency of Nigeria in the 2023 elections. As we were promoting youth participation through a project called Connecting the Dots, which aimed to help young people engage in politics.
”Over the years, we have trained young individuals on political engagements, where the Not Too Young to Run Act was passed, These young people suggested that I run for president. Thus, I was given the mandate by the graduates of our institute to contest for the presidency, and I remain very active in politics.
Nuhu-Aken’ova revealed that the international center for sexual reproductive rights has gained international recognition, recently being listed among the top three best projects globally working to keep girls in school and reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS while protecting human rights”, she said.
