Dr. Igbuzor Advocates for Men's Role in Women's Leadership

On Thursday, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, the Project Director of the Male Feminists Network (MFN) and founding executive director of Centre LSD, addressed the need for men to challenge patriarchy and support women's leadership at a two-day capacity-strengthening program for Women's Rights Organizations (WROs) in Abuja. The program, themed “From Principles to Practice: Institutionalising Accountable Male Allyship in Women’s Rights Programming,” utilized the Amandla Institute Strengthening Women’s Movement in Nigeria Manual.

Dr. Igbuzor warned that male participation should enhance, not overshadow, women's leadership, stressing that genuine allyship must lead to measurable changes in behavior and power dynamics. He cautioned against “performative allyship” and emphasized that men must use their influence responsibly, listen to women, and challenge patriarchal practices.

He also highlighted the importance of embedding gender-equitable values in institutional policies and cautioned against creating a competing men’s movement. The MFN has trained over 12,000 male feminists across Nigeria.