As Nigeria joins the world to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, Gombe-based lawyer and gender advocate, Barrister Mwalin Naomi-Abdu, on Saturday called for stronger policies that protect girls’ rights, ensure their education, and amplify women’s leadership at all levels.
She made this disclosure in a chat with PERISCOPE NIGERIA in Gombe.
Naomi-Abdu, who has been at the forefront of advocacy for vulnerable women and girls for over a decade, said her passion for justice and equality was ignited after she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2010.
“Seeing how education and the law can change lives made me decide to give back to the poor and vulnerable who face gender-based violence and lack access to justice,” she said.
Since then, Naomi-Abdu has served through several platforms, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and as a Gender Responsive Education Budgeting and Spending (GREBS) Fellow, an initiative supported by Invictus Africa and the Malala Fund.
In her current role as the Gender and GBV Focal Officer at the Gombe State Ministry of Justice, Abdu leads rights sensitisation and response activities to ensure survivors of gender-based violence know where and how to find help.
“We want survivors to know they are not alone. Help is available, and justice is possible,” she emphasised.
Her work also focuses on strengthening the justice system to protect the most vulnerable and ensure no one is left behind.
As a committed advocate against child marriage, gender-based violence, and the denial of girls’ education, Abdu admits that the journey has not always been easy.
“There are moments when I feel disappointed, even heartbroken,” she said, “but those moments remind me why I must keep going.”
Reflecting on the significance of the Day of the Girl Child, she urged policymakers and community leaders to take decisive action.
“We must push for policies that protect girls’ rights and enable their leadership — policies that strengthen our justice systems, expand access to education, and empower more women to stand where decisions are made,” Abdu stated.
Concluding on a hopeful note, she declared, “My name is Mwalin Naomi Abdu, from Gombe State. I am a girl, and I am not waiting for a better world; I am building it.”
