The Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN, has elected new executives to run its ongoing campaign on Sexual and Reproductive Health rights and policies for the next three years.
The new officials were unanimously elected unopposed during the Network’s 2020 Annual General Meeting, AGM, held virtually on January 22nd 2021.
Those elected are: Ynka Shokunbi, President; Nasir Yusuf Ibrahim, Vice President; Sekinah Lawal. National Secretary; Tosin Odusola, Assistant secretary; Julie Ekong, Treasurer; Nma Okereke, Financial Secretary; Sola Ogundipe, Program Advisor.
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Others elected are: Elizabeth kah, Welfare/Publicity Secretary; Martins Ifijeh, Internal Auditor; Ijeoma Ukazu, Ex- officio (1); Joy Olabisi Akpaida, Ex-Officio (2) and Hauwa Shekarau, Legal Adviser.
Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), charged the newly elected officials to be upright and be committed to uplifting the principles of rights of women to their Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Dr. Oji who is also Chairman, Association of Advanced Family Planning of Nigeria (AAFP), and Dr Ejike Oji Community Development Foundation appreciated the contribution of the Network to issues relating to Sexual and Reproductive Health and rights and policies in its ten years of existence.
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On her part, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, chairman, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), while applauding the election of the new executives, encouraged them to reach out more in promoting equity and access of women to reproductive health services that enhance their dignity.
Dr Akiyode-Afolabi who is also member of the BOT, urged the leadership of the Network to put commitment on the front line of media advocacy for promoting gender issues, saying “because there is still a lot of work to be done in eliminating gender based violence on all spheres of our lives as a nation.”
Also speaking, chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Abuja Branch, Dr. Hauwa Shekarau, who is the Legal Adviser and member, BOT, noted that the Network has shown in the last ten years that it is a media advocacy group to be reckoned with in the SRHR space.
She charged the new executives to continue to strengthen the capacity of its members across the country through continued programmes of development and engagements so that more visibility would be given to issues of women, girls and persons rights to making informed decisions and right choices in their sexual and reproductive health.
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The NRHJN was formed in April 2010 with the support of Ipas, Nigeria as a media advocacy group to be a communication bridge between SRHR partners and the public at a time when it was difficult for the public to appreciate the works of most partners, the importance of sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls and protection against gender based violence.
The Network is a registered media not-for-profit group with membership cuts across all genre of the media and in 20 states with State Coordinators.
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