Tabitha’s Girls Vanguard Takes Centre Stage at Abuja Girls’ Parliament, Challenges Child Marriage

ABUJA | Media360Impact Report

Girls participating in Tabitha Empowerment Centre’s Girls Vanguard Project have taken an active role in the 2026 Abuja Girls’ Children’s Parliament, using debate, advocacy and public engagement to call for greater protection of girls’ rights and an end to child marriage.

The girls joined participants from six schools and youth groups at the programme organised by Lady Helen Child Health Foundation to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, under the theme, “Every Girl Deserves the Right to Learn, Lead, and Choose Her Future.”

Through parliamentary sessions and other activities, the young participants examined issues affecting girls, including access to education, child marriage, protection, health, hygiene, leadership and opportunities in the digital world.

For Tabitha Empowerment Centre, the event provided an opportunity to demonstrate how sustained investment in girls’ confidence, knowledge and leadership can prepare them to speak about challenges affecting their lives and communities.

Tabitha: Girls Must Be Given the Opportunity to Lead

Speaking during the programme, the Founder and Executive Director of Tabitha Empowerment Centre, Christina Uzo-Okamgba, described the International Day of the Girl Child as an important occasion for promoting girls’ confidence and helping them recognise their potential.

She said girls needed opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and pursue their ambitions, noting that many were still held back by social attitudes that questioned their capacity to become leaders.

According to her, girls should be given platforms to develop their potential and prepare for positions of responsibility, including becoming lawmakers, governors, ministers and senators.

Uzo-Okamgba said empowering a girl goes beyond offering encouragement; it also requires creating opportunities for her to learn, participate and build the confidence to pursue her future.

She added that the consequences of child marriage and the denial of educational opportunities remain serious concerns in Nigeria.

While acknowledging that poverty can contribute to early marriage, she argued that parental decisions and the desire for financial or social advantage can also expose girls to the practice.

She stressed that families should prioritise their children’s education and development rather than push them into marriage at an early age.

Girls Vanguard Project Builds Confidence and Advocacy Skills

Providing details of the organisation’s interventions, Gladys Emmanuel, an in-house lawyer and advocacy officer at Tabitha Empowerment Centre, said the Girls Vanguard Project was launched in September 2025 with the endorsement of the Minister of Youth.

She explained that the initiative works with girls from underserved communities, equipping them with knowledge and practical skills in sexual and reproductive health rights, digital literacy, human rights, policy advocacy, leadership and communication.

According to Emmanuel, the programme has helped participants who were previously timid or unfamiliar with their rights become more confident in engaging their peers and discussing issues affecting girls.

She said some of the girls had become peer educators following their training and were now carrying out sensitisation activities in their communities.

For the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, Emmanuel said participants were involved in school-based awareness campaigns, community sensitisation and digital advocacy.

She also identified their participation in parliamentary debates, media interviews and spoken-word presentations as examples of how the girls were increasingly using their voices to promote girls’ rights.

Emmanuel added that Tabitha also conducts anti-gender-based violence campaigns in schools, focusing on awareness, sensitisation and creating safe spaces where girls can discuss sensitive issues without fear of stigma.

A Young Participant Shares Her Experience

One of the participants, Amos Progress of Tabitha Empowerment Centre, said the organisation had helped her understand herself better and learn practical information about personal health and development.

She identified menstrual hygiene, the proper use of sanitary pads, body care and digital literacy among the lessons she had gained through the organisation’s activities.

Her testimony reflects the importance of giving girls access to information that can support their confidence, wellbeing and ability to make informed decisions.

Tabitha Calls for Stronger Protection of Girls’ Rights

In her goodwill message at the event, Uzo-Okamgba said girls continued to face challenges including gender-based violence, interrupted education and violations of their rights.

She described the campaign to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights as an urgent social and developmental responsibility.

“A girl is not a bride in waiting. She is a thinker, an innovator, and the architect of her collective future,” she said.

She called on government institutions, community leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to strengthen child protection, enforce relevant laws and work together to eliminate harmful practices that prevent girls from reaching their full potential.

Uzo-Okamgba said investing in girls today would contribute to a stronger future for Nigeria.

Giving Girls a Voice in Decisions That Affect Them

The programme’s Director, Dr Francisca Odeka, had earlier welcomed participants and described the parliamentary platform as an opportunity for girls to move beyond passive participation and openly express their views on issues affecting them.

She encouraged the young delegates to use the opportunity to discuss their experiences, identify challenges and present their ideas.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Lady Helen Child Health Foundation, Dr Benjamin Odeka, described the Abuja Girls’ Children’s Parliament as a platform for participation, advocacy, evidence-based dialogue and policy engagement.

He said the foundation’s work includes adolescent health education, mental wellbeing, menstrual hygiene, child protection, research and the promotion of children’s rights.

He urged the young parliamentarians to approach their discussions with confidence, listen respectfully and develop practical recommendations that could inform policies and programmes affecting girls.

The event brought together participants from Police Day Secondary School, Area 11; Government Secondary School, Kuje; Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3; Government Secondary School, Nyanya; Government Secondary School, Jikwoyi; and Girls Vanguard.

The Girls Vanguard also presented a poem as part of the programme.

For Tabitha Empowerment Centre, the girls’ participation reinforced its message that empowering young people requires more than speaking on their behalf. It also means equipping them with the knowledge, confidence and platforms to speak for themselves.

As calls to end child marriage and protect girls’ rights continue, the organisation is urging families, communities and public institutions to ensure that girls can remain in school, develop their abilities and make decisions about their futures.

Credit: Media360Impact Report. Interviews with Christina Uzo-Okamgba, Gladys Emmanuel and Amos Progress; remarks from officials of Lady Helen Child Health Foundation at the 2026 Abuja Girls’ Children’s Parliament.