At the mention of Bola Tinubu, your mind instinctively goes to the President, Bola Tinubu.
But unlike the president, who trained as an accountant, the beautiful Tinubu is a lawyer by profession.
Eight years ago, when the brainy lawyer who is also the better half of the famous energy guru, Wale Tinubu, concretised her deep feelings for child advocacy with the launch of Cece Yara Foundation, her pristine vision was to protect children from abuse, while also affording them a platform to speak out against any other injustice done to them.
In the past few years, she has scored a resounding plus in her activism. To fully achieve her mission, she instituted a centre called Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, a state-of-the-art forensic suite for children who have experienced sexual abuse. The Centre is designed to enable training of forensic interviewers, including officers of the Nigerian Police and the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.
Although the Centre, at the outset, was relatively novel in Nigeria, it has since been driving the process of ensuring that child forensic interviews become the best practice in Nigeria, similar to what obtains in other developed countries. This is because forensic interviewing has been found to aid the successful prosecution and conviction of perpetrators, thereby reducing child trauma.
Today, the NGO is a household name. As proof of her rising profile, the Lagos State government has not only recognised the Centre, but has also collaborated with her to launch the first-ever Child Sexual Abuse Investigative and interview Protocol.
The brilliant lawyer, who is enthusiastic about this initiative, confirmed that it was informed by her countless engagements with children to listen to their heartfelt pains.
Her inspirational activities earned her recognition in the BBC’s 100 Women of 2018 – the list that celebrated 100 inspiring and influential women, ranging from age 15 to 94 from around the world, including leaders, trailblazers and everyday heroes from over 60 countries.
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