Power in Nigeria is usually measured by offices held, budgets controlled, or elections won. Yet some of the most consequential shifts of the last few years have come from a different kind of authority altogether, one rooted in access, proximity, and the ability to convene attention around issues that too often remain at the margins. The Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum (NGSF) operates firmly within that space.
NGSF is a collective advocacy platform of the First Ladies of Nigeria’s 36 states. Chaired by Ambassador Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the First Lady of Kwara State, the Forum provides a unified space for Governors’ Spouses to mobilise attention, resources, and partnerships around issues affecting women, youths, and children, while operating through Northern and Southern Fora to strengthen regional coordination and impact. Rooted in advocacy and social action, the Forum brings together the moral authority and convening power of Governors’ Spouses to advance protection, equity, and opportunity for vulnerable populations across the country. While formally structured in recent years, the Forum’s work reflects the longstanding collective engagement of First Ladies in social development issues within their respective states.
The Forum’s early collective action gained national prominence during the COVID-19 period, when reports of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) escalated across Nigeria. In response, Governors’ Spouses mobilised under the banner Nigerian Governors’ Wives Against Gender-Based Violence, advocating for urgent, coordinated action. This sustained advocacy contributed to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s declaration of a State of Emergency on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in June 2020, a critical milestone that accelerated the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This remains one of the Forum’s most significant advocacy outcomes, demonstrating how coordinated subnational engagement can translate into nationwide reform.
Building on this foundation, the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum expanded its advocacy to address interconnected social challenges affecting women, youths, and children. The Forum’s work now spans health, education, nutrition, skills acquisition, economic empowerment, drug abuse prevention, climate change, Sickle Cell Anaemia, women’s leadership and political representation. Central to this expansion has been strategic collaboration with institutions and partners including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria and the Renewed Hope Initiative, UN Women C-WINS, GAVI, UNICEF, UNFPA, the British High Commission, the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Westminster Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NDLEA, Lady Anne Welsh, and the artist Waje. Through these partnerships, the Forum has supported and amplified advocacy efforts that have translated into measurable national impact, including nationwide sensitisation on routine immunisation, contributing to the uptake of the HPV vaccine by over 12 million girls across Nigeria; sustained advocacy for six months paid maternity leave; expansion of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and safe shelters across multiple states; capacity strengthening of Wives of Local Government Chairmen to deepen grassroots advocacy and response; promotion of girl-child education and school retention; support for women’s skills acquisition, economic empowerment, and leadership development; community-level advocacy engaging traditional and religious leaders to shift harmful norms; and annual high-level policy dialogues during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. In the health sector, the Forum’s advocacy extends across comprehensive cancer awareness and prevention alongside maternal, neonatal, reproductive, and adolescent health.
To enhance coordination and consistency across states, the Forum continues to invest in learning and shared resources. Webinars, training sessions, resource manuals, Standard Operating Procedures, and a Service Providers Directory support more structured state-level advocacy responses, particularly on GBV, maternal health, and child protection. A central coordinating Secretariat supports programme implementation, research, documentation, and partnership management, enabling continuity while keeping advocacy leadership firmly anchored in the collective of Governors’ Spouses.
Guiding the Forum’s work is a clear philosophy: a Nigeria where every woman, youth, and child is protected, supported, and empowered to thrive. Its mission, to leverage the collective influence of Governors’ Spouses to advance gender equality, strengthen health and social systems, protect vulnerable populations, and promote opportunities that improve the well-being of families and communities across all states, continues to shape priorities at both national and state levels.
As the Forum looks ahead, its advocacy will continue to align around global and national observances that provide platforms for coordinated action, including International Women’s Day, International Day of the Girl Child, World Cancer Days, FGM Awareness Day, Menstrual Hygiene Day, Immunisation Week, and the 16 Days of Activism. These moments will be accompanied by state-level policy engagement, media advocacy, community outreach, and sustained collaboration with development partners. Priority areas include nutrition, skills acquisition, climate change, girl-child education, maternal and reproductive health, drug abuse prevention, comprehensive cancer awareness, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s representation in leadership.
Through sustained advocacy, strategic partnerships, and coordinated action, the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum continues to play a vital role in shaping social outcomes across Nigeria. Its work demonstrates how collective, non-elective leadership can drive meaningful change, not through authority, but through advocacy, collaboration, and commitment to the public good.
Ambassador Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq
Chairperson, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum and First
Lady of Kwara State
Leading With Purpose
As Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum, Ambassador Professor (Mrs) Olufolake Abdulrazaq leads a collective of First Ladies whose influence has steadily shaped national conversations around women, youths and children — and, more importantly, how those conversations translate into action.
Under her leadership, the Forum has continued to strengthen its national footprint, deepening partnerships, expanding coordination across states and sharpening how advocacy translates into policy engagement and sustained action. The work has moved beyond moments of attention into structure — from health and protection to education, economic empowerment and social welfare — positioning the Forum as a serious stakeholder within Nigeria’s development conversation.
Abdulrazaq’s effectiveness as Chairperson is closely tied to the discipline she brings to the role. A seasoned diplomat with decades of experience in public service, she understands how institutions work, how consensus is built, and how influence must be managed to endure. That perspective has shaped a leadership style focused on alignment rather than personality, and collaboration rather than noise.
Her chairmanship reflects a belief that advocacy at a national scale demands organisation — clear priorities, credible partnerships and continuity across political and regional differences. It is this approach that has allowed the Forum to operate with coherence, even as it engages diverse communities and stakeholders across the country.
In this interview, she speaks about leading a national advocacy platform, the responsibilities that come with chairing influence at scale, and the thinking behind the Forum’s evolving work for women, youths and children across Nigeria.
When you assumed the role of Chairperson, GBV cases were already a national concern. Since then, what improvements have you observed in how states are responding, and where do you believe more work is still needed?
When I took on the role of Chairperson, Gender-Based Violence was already receiving attention, but responses were uneven across states. Today, we are seeing clearer political commitment at the sub-national level, stronger coordination with relevant MDAs, and increased willingness by states to further strengthen response mechanisms. However, there is still work to be done in translating policy into consistent action, especially in survivor-centred care, data reporting, and sustainable funding for response structures.
The Forum has grown from its early focus on GBV into a broader platform addressing health, education, nutrition, and economic empowerment. How have you helped steer this expansion while keeping the protection of women and children at the centre?
From the onset, we recognised that protection cannot exist in isolation. Issues such as health, education, nutrition, skills acquisition, economic empowerment, climate change, and women’s leadership are deeply interconnected with safety, dignity, and resilience.
Our approach has been to adopt a holistic lens, strengthening prevention while addressing the structural and socio-economic factors that expose women and children to risk. Skills acquisition is positioned as a practical pathway to independence, education focuses on knowledge and opportunity, and economic empowerment is driven by long-term sustainability and inclusion. We have also prioritised climate change as an emerging risk multiplier, particularly for women and girls in vulnerable communities, while continuing to advocate for greater representation of women in leadership and decision-making spaces.
By integrating protection principles across all these areas, we ensure that safeguarding remains central to every programme and intervention of the Forum.
The 16 Days of Activism remains an important global window for spotlighting GBV. How does the Forum use this period to drive conversation and action at national level?
The 16 Days of Activism provides a critical opportunity to amplify advocacy and accountability. The Forum uses this period to engage policymakers and relevant Stakeholders to reinforce key messages around prevention and response. This we consistently achieve with our annual summit always held to Commemorate the 16 Days of Activism. Beyond visibility, we also use this medium to push for concrete actions—policy reviews, stakeholder commitments, and strengthened partnerships that extend well beyond the 16 days.
Beyond awareness, what practical steps is the Forum taking to ensure survivors of violence have access to support systems such as shelters and Sexual Assault Referral Centres?
Awareness must always be matched with access to services. The Forum is actively supporting the establishment of additional Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across states, while also equipping and strengthening existing centres to improve the quality of care and responsiveness.
We are also working with partners to support the provision of functional shelters and strengthen referral pathways, ensuring survivors can access medical, psychosocial, legal, and social support seamlessly. Importantly, First Ladies across the states serve as Chairpersons of their respective State Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Committees, providing year-round oversight of prevention, response, coordination, and accountability on SGBV issues. Through improved collaboration between health, justice, and social welfare systems, we are ensuring that survivors are supported holistically and are not left to navigate these processes alone.
As First Lady of Kwara State, how has your experience at the state level influenced the way you lead the Forum nationally?
My experience in Kwara State has grounded my leadership in practical realities. Remember, I am a diplomat who has served in different capacities, at different locations in the world. So, my years in the service has reinforced the importance of context, partnership, and sustainability. Leading at the state level has also helped me appreciate the diverse challenges states face, and this informs a leadership approach that prioritises collaboration, shared learning, and adaptable solutions at the national level.
Leadership often requires balancing influence with collaboration. How would you describe your leadership style as Chairperson of the Forum?
I believe in inclusive leadership. The Forum thrives when every First Lady feels ownership of its vision and programmes. My role is to provide direction, encourage consensus, and create an enabling environment where ideas can be shared and translated into action through collective effort.
Looking ahead to 2026, what areas of the Forum’s work are you most focused on strengthening to ensure lasting impact across the states?
Looking ahead, our focus is on consolidating and scaling initiatives that have already demonstrated measurable impact. We are particularly proud of the success of the HPV vaccine rollout, delivered in partnership with the Primary Health Care and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development, which has reached over 12 million girls nationwide, with uptake continuing across states.
We are also proud of the progress made on child birth registration, implemented in collaboration with the office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Renewed Hope Initiative and UNICEF, as well as the establishment and support of Sexual Assault Referral Centres, with assistance from partners such as the Ford Foundation.
In addition, the Forum continues to advocate for progressive policies, including the six-month maternity leave, which has so far been adopted by 11 states, and the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, as part of our commitment to advancing women’s leadership and representation.
We are currently supporting the rollout of the Measles and Rubella vaccine in partnership with C-WINS and other stakeholders, and are encouraged by the level of uptake recorded so far. Beyond national efforts, the Forum remains actively engaged on the global stage through participation at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the FLAIR Summit, and related platforms.
As we move into the new year, we will continue to build on these gains, strengthening partnerships, advancing advocacy, and ensuring that our interventions remain sustainable, impactful, and felt at the community level across all states.
