Breaking Invisible Barriers: How the 100 Women Lobby Group is Architecting a Safer, More Inclusive Future at Ambrose Alli University

By Isaac Eranga

EKPOMA: When a student passes through the gates of a university, they carry a clear, unburdened dream: to acquire knowledge, discover their potential, and build a launchpad for a limitless future. But across many higher education institutions in Nigeria, an invisible tax is levied on this dream—one paid disproportionately by women and girls. Gender inequality, underrepresentation in leadership, subtle systemic biases, and the destructive specter of sexual harassment often quietly derail brilliant voices before they can even be heard.

Recognizing that a university must be society’s great equalizer, the 100 Women Lobby Group (100WLG) has stepped into the trenches. On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the Edo State Chapter of the group launched a high-stakes advocacy visit to the management of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma. Their mission was clear, urgent, and structural: Developing and Institutionalising a Context-Specific Gender Policy.

The Vanguard of Institutional Change

The 100 Women Lobby Group is not just an organization; it is a nationwide movement. Founded by Dr. Felicia Onibun, a foremost advocate for gender justice, 100WLG operates under the umbrella of the Change Managers International Network. Headquartered in Abuja, the group’s primary mandate is to aggressively increase female representation in politics, governance, and critical decision-making spaces.

Currently, the group is driving a targeted intervention across six pivotal states in Nigeria: the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bayelsa, Edo, Osun, Adamawa, and Kano.

At Ambrose Alli University, a leading state institution in the South-South region, the Edo State Chapter observed a critical vulnerability: the absence of a comprehensive, legal framework to safeguard the rights and dignity of all members of the university community. Without an institutionalized gender policy, there are no binding guidelines to prevent intimidation, promote equality, or deal decisively with systemic abuse.

Confronting the Ivory Tower

Led by the Edo State Coordinator, Dr. Louisa Eikhomun-Agbonkhese (Ph.D. Hc), alongside State Secretary Patience Okhuahesuyi, the delegation arrived at the Vice Chancellor’s office at noon. They were met by a robust assembly of the university’s leadership, including the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eunice Eboserehimen (Omonzejie), Deputy Vice Chancellor (Admin) Prof. Andrew Eromonsele, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Osagie Ekhator, University Registrar Mrs. Oluwayomi Glalelaku, and other key administrative and academic officials.

“A university is meant to be a great equalizer, yet invisible barriers persist,” Dr. Eikhomun-Agbonkhese declared passionately in her address. “We see the underrepresentation of women in faculties, unequal opportunities for leadership in student governance… and most devastating of all, sexual harassment, intimidation, and unequal power dynamics that silence brilliant voices.”

The advocacy visit sought to change the DNA of the institution. The 100WLG presented a strategic roadmap to align AAU’s internal practices with international frameworks like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as Nigeria’s National and Edo State Gender Policies.

Synergy Over Isolation: A Breakthrough Alliance

The reception from the university management was not just polite; it was strategically progressive. Vice Chancellor Prof. Eunice Eboserehimen commended the group’s vigor and immediately validated the urgency of the cause. However, she introduced a crucial piece of institutional context: AAU has had an internal association actively working on campus gender issues since 2021.

Rather than seeing this as a duplication of effort, the Vice Chancellor offered a masterclass in administrative synergy. She advised the 100WLG to join forces with the existing group to scale their impact, suggesting that merging the grassroots institutional memory of the campus group with the structural weight of the 100WLG would create an unstoppable mechanism for change.

The engagement yielded immediate, concrete commitments. The Vice Chancellor committed to creating an integrated Gender Policy Working Group to draft the context-specific policy framework within the project’s strict timeline. Furthermore, the university management will formally broker a meeting between 100WLG and the internal 2021 gender association to synchronize roles, and steps were initiated to secure an official Letter of Support from AAU to institutionalize the partnership.

A Pace-Setting Precedent

Edo State has long held a reputation as a pacesetter in regional development, and this collaboration signals that its higher education sector will not be left behind. By opening its doors to the 100 Women Lobby Group, Ambrose Alli University is transitioning from a passive space of learning to an active sanctuary of equity.

According to the State Secretary- Patience Okhuahesuyi, “the success of this visit proves that change happens when advocacy meets willing leadership. The institutionalization of this gender policy will ensure that future generations of students walk through AAU’s gates knowing that their dignity is protected, their voices matter, and their potential is truly limitless.”