Centre LSD to mobilise 1,000 male leaders for gender advocacy

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) has unveiled plans to train and mobilise at least 1,000 male leaders and grassroots influencers across Nigeria in gender advocacy and feminist principles.

Founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, made the announcement during the launch of the Male Feminist Network (MFN) project on Friday in Abuja.

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The Centre explained that men, who hold influence in homes, workplaces, religious institutions, politics, and traditional structures, can drive transformative change by aligning their influence with feminist values.

They explained that the initiative recognises that women are historically marginalised and need the active support of men to dismantle systemic barriers. This, according to them, is a key step toward ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and promoting gender equality.

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“Over the next two years, through the support of the Ford Foundation, we will work with zonal partners to train and mobilise at least 1,000 male leaders and grassroots influencers in gender advocacy and feminist principles.

“We will build a functional, inclusive, and visible national network of male feminists.

“Engage traditional, religious, and cultural leaders to adopt gender-sensitive practices. Amplify public awareness through the strategic use of traditional and digital media to challenge toxic masculinity and promote inclusive gender narratives,” Dr. Igbuzor stressed.

Citing data from the National Demographic and Health Survey and the National Bureau of Statistics, the Centre revealed that over 35% of Nigerian women have experienced physical violence, while millions more suffer emotional, sexual, and economic abuse.

“One in ten women lives in poverty; women are less likely than men to have access to social protection. Women are more food insecure than men and suffer more from lack of water and sanitation.

“In Nigeria, the situation is more precarious. Men gained voting rights in 1922 through the Clifford Constitution, but women all over Nigeria gained voting rights in 1979 through the 1979 Constitution — a 57-year gap.

“We also know that patriarchal norms, entrenched in our cultural, social, and even legal systems, fuel these injustices. Too often, men are either direct perpetrators of violence or passive bystanders when harmful practices are carried out,” the Centre added.

Centre LSD, however, urged governments at all levels to prioritise funding and policy reforms that institutionalise male engagement in GBV prevention and gender equality promotion.

It also urged the government, donor agencies, and the private sector to collaborate in funding, policy, and workplace initiatives that integrate male allyship into the fight against GBV.

Board Chairperson of Centre LSD, Kyauta Agmadalo Giwa, stressed that the MFN is about reshaping societal narratives.

“This project is rooted in a simple but radical idea: that men must be allies, advocates, and active participants in the movement for gender justice. Feminism is not just a women’s issue — it is a human issue,” she said.

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