ALAKE OF EGBALAND SET TO HOST A MEN-ONLY TOWNHALL MEETING IN ABEOKUTA ON “STRENGTHENING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY BONDS”

Lagos, Nigeria – 2 April 2025 – In a bold move to reshape societal norms and foster safer communities, Women Radio 91.7FM, Nigeria’s only female-centric radio station, has announced a high-impact Townhall Meeting under the theme “Strengthening Family and Community Bonds- The Role of Men in Protecting Women and Girls.”

The event scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2025, hosted by HRM ỌBA ADEDOTUN AREMU GBADEBO III ALAKE AND PARAMOUNT RULER OF EGBALAND at the historic Alake Palace in Egbaland, is set to convene MEN-ONLY custodians of our culture who are traditional rulers, faith leaders, policymakers, community chairmen, corporate leaders, and other male stakeholders in a crucial dialogue on male accountability, family cohesion, and collective protection of women and girls.

Nigeria, like many societies, struggle with deep-rooted gender disparities, where women and girls face systemic vulnerabilities from domestic violence to limited access to opportunities. While advocacy for women’s rights has grown, the critical role of men as allies, protectors, and change agents remains underexplored in mainstream discourse. 

Toun Okewale Sonaiya, CEO of Women Radio 91.7FM, underscores the urgency: “We cannot achieve a Peaceful and safe community by speaking only to women. Men as fathers, brothers, sons, leaders, and partners must be active participants in this movement. True protection is not controlled. It is respect, and advocacy with shared responsibility in shifting mindsets, strengthening families, and building communities where women and girls are safe, valued and men duly respected. We know that men listen to men and boys are influenced by male elders in their community. We are deeply honoured and grateful that the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland HRM Ọba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III for leading this conversation”

The townhall meeting will address pressing questions including mobilising men as advocates, not adversaries, leveraging cultural and traditional frameworks to reinforce positive masculinity and institutionalising community systems to protect women and girls from violence and discrimination. Through keynote speeches, panel discussions, and policy roundtables, the event will explore actionable strategies, including engaging boys in early education to protect girls, healthy relationships, strengthening community-based protection systems through traditional institutions and corporate and governmental policies that incentivize male allyship in workplaces and homes.

This meeting marks the beginning of a sustained movement to engage custodians of our culture as partners in moving Nigeria closer to a place where women and girls move freely without fear, where families thrive on mutual respect; where communities unite in safeguarding the rights and dignity of all.

For further information contact communications@wfm917.com