How I Won Active Citizens Awards for Oby Ezekwesili Award for Women Advocacy Category

Today marks exactly one week since I received the Oby Ezekwesili Award for Women Advocacy at the Active Citizens Awards 2026, organised by CivicHive and BudgIT.

Let me share the story behind the award and why this recognition will always have a special place in my heart.

Over the years, I have been privileged to receive more than 30 local and international awards. I am grateful for every one of them because each represents the lives we have touched through Girls Education Mission International.

But this one is different

because..

This is home.

This is home Nigeria recognising a journey that started with a little girl who almost dropped out of school because education was becoming a luxury her family could no longer afford.

That little girl never imagined she would one day stand on a national stage receiving an award named after one of Nigeria's most respected women.

What makes the story even more remarkable is that it caught me by surprise.

I didn't even know I had been nominated.

During the awards ceremony, it was announced that the Active Citizens Awards received over 1,780 public nominations from across Nigeria. Somewhere among those nominations was my name.

To this day, I still don't know who nominated me.

Whoever you are, thank you.

Thank you for believing in our work enough to tell our story when we weren't in the room.

The truth is, I almost missed the opportunity completely.

About a week before the ceremony, I received a WhatsApp message from someone on the CivicHive team. They explained that they had tried reaching me through the email address on our website but the email bounced back. After searching for another way to contact me, they found my WhatsApp number and asked if I could share an alternative email address because they had an important update regarding my nomination.

I remember smiling and wondering, as who could have done that..?"

After I shared my email address, I opened my inbox and discovered that I had been selected as one of the Top Four Finalists under the Oby Ezekwesili Award for Women Advocacy category.

A few days later, I travelled from Jos to Lagos with a heart full of gratitude.

Standing in that room with people who have dedicated their lives to serving Nigeria was already an honour.

Then they announced my category.

And they called my name a Winner 🏆

For a few seconds, I stood there overwhelmed.

Not because of the award itself but because of everything it represented.

The girls who stayed in school because someone believed in them.

The parents who chose education over early marriage.

The teachers who opened their classrooms to us.

The volunteers who gave their time.

The staff and board who continue to give their best.

The partners and donors who invested in a vision before they ever saw the results.

This award belongs to every one of you.

Receiving this recognition in July makes it even more special.

On Kuly 5th Girls Education Mission International celebrating 15 years of standing with girls, opening doors and proving that when you educate a girl, you change generations.

As we celebrate this milestone, we are also inviting friends and partners to be part of our #Give15Gain15 Campaign, so that the next chapter of our story reaches even more girls who are waiting for someone to believe in them.

This experience also reminded me of something I have always believed.

Never stop telling your story.

People sometimes ask why I document our work so consistently.

My answer is simple.

I don't post because I want attention.

I post because impact deserves to be documented.

Long before I knew I had been nominated, our stories, reports, photographs, videos and updates were already speaking for us.

Our digital footprint opened a door we didn't even know existed.

You never know who is reading.

You never know who is watching.

You never know who is speaking your name in rooms you have never entered.

One week later, my heart is still full.

Thank you to everyone who nominated me.

Thank you to CivicHive and BudgIT Foundation for this incredible honour.

And thank you to every member of the Girls Education Mission International family for walking this journey with me over the last 15 years.

This award is not the destination.

It is a reminder that there are still millions of girls whose stories are waiting to be rewritten.

And by God's grace, we are just getting started.

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