Meet Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu, a passionate changemaker, trailblazing banker-turned-social advocate, and the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Leadership Initiative for Youth Empowerment (LIFE). With a journey that began in the dusty classrooms  was fueled by a desire to amplify youth voices, Abiodun has spent over a decade building platforms where young people are not just seen, but heard, respected, and empowered.

In this insightful interview, she shares the powerful story behind the founding of LIFE, the gritty challenges of launching a youth-led nonprofit in Nigeria, and the unshakable determination that saw her investing her own salary to keep the dream alive. From peacebuilding in the wake of religious conflict to boldly confronting the taboo of female genital mutilation, Abiodun takes us deep into the heart of grassroots activism, showing how compassion, education, and persistence can transform lives.

Get ready to be inspired by a woman who proves that leadership isn’t just about titles, it’s about taking action, lifting others, and rewriting the narrative for future generations.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us what inspired you to establish the Leadership Initiative for Youth Empowerment (LIFE)?

 I’m Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Leadership Initiative for Youth Empowerment (LIFE). The idea to start LIFE came from my experiences in secondary school. I was involved with a charity called Community Life Project, where we were trained as peer educators on sexual and reproductive health. It was a youth-focused initiative, but I realized that when conversations about young people were happening, it was often older people making decisions for us. That inspired me and a group of peers to create a youth-led and youth-focused platform—LIFE, where young people could have a voice and lead initiatives that directly affect them.

 What were some of the challenges you faced in starting the organization, and what lessons did you learn from them?

 One major challenge was getting reputable individuals to join our board. As young people, we were often not taken seriously. I remember trying to get people like Dr. Reuben Abati and others to join us—it was tough accessing them. Another issue was the cost and process of registration. In Nigeria, setting up a nonprofit isn’t free; we had to raise money, find a lawyer, and eventually got registered in 2012, even though we had started long before then. Funding was also a big challenge. As a grassroots youth-led organization, people doubted our ability to manage resources. I had to support the organization with my salary from my full-time job as a banker. Despite the challenges, we kept going, and eventually got our first big project funded by UNAOC’s Solidarity Fund for peacebuilding work.

 Tell us more about that first funded project. What was it about?

 It was a peacebuilding project during the height of Boko Haram attacks. People were migrating into our community, and there was a lot of religious tension. We focused on intercultural learning for peace, promoting respect and human dignity above religious identification. We worked with religious groups to teach that we are all human first. That was our first funded project, and it made a real impact.

 You’ve also tackled female genital mutilation (FGM). How did you engage with communities that view it as tradition?

We approached the issue by involving health practitioners, community leaders, families, and young people. We focused on education, showing the harmful health implications of FGM. We used visual tools like photos and real-life stories showing the effects, like vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), infections, trauma, and lifelong consequences. Many families had never understood the impact; they just saw it as a tradition. When they saw the facts, some changed their minds. We emphasized that no parent wants to harm their child, and this made a difference.

 Was the FGM campaign successful, and how long did it take?

The project lasted one year. We built sustainability by working with religious and community leaders who continued the conversations in their spaces. Even though the funding ended and couldn’t be renewed, the training and awareness continued through those we empowered. I believe some of those conversations are still ongoing, but we need more sustainable funding to keep the momentum alive.

What is the biggest challenge your organization faces today?

 Sustainability and funding. It’s disheartening when you have a good project making real impact, but the funding stops too soon, six months or a year isn’t enough. We try to keep going, but we’re limited. Long-term funding is essential to drive real change in society.

Looking at your impact in Oshodi-Isolo on domestic violence, what have been some of the major achievements so far? Has access to justice been easy? Were there any challenges in working with authorities?

 We’ve recorded a lot of success, to be honest. It hasn’t been easy, far from it—but we’ve achieved meaningful results. One of the biggest successes is the establishment of a weekly peer-led support group for survivors. These sessions help women share experiences and support each other.

What really made a difference was our consistent advocacy. We built strong relationships with key stakeholders, particularly the police. For instance, we have a great working relationship with the police stations in Ilasa, Aswani, and Ajao. We know the DPOs, the gender desk officers, they know us too. That familiarity means when we call them for urgent issues, they respond positively. It didn’t happen overnight, it took consistent visits, trust-building, and mutual respect.

We also focused on sensitizing the women themselves. Many didn’t even know their rights or that abuse is a criminal offense. Through training and community engagement, we demystified the law and empowered them to speak out. We also created a hotline and trained community members who now act as whistleblowers. All of this has built a responsive and connected support system.

That’s powerful. You mentioned a crisis care coordinator, how has that addition impacted the work?

Hugely. The coordinator is a trained counselor and mental health practitioner. Her presence has given many women the confidence to open up about their trauma. Most survivors bottle up pain, and it affects their mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life. Our safe space, what we call “the camp”, gives them somewhere to talk, cry, or even just sit in silence away from the world. It’s a healing space. We still hope to expand it into a proper shelter someday, where women can safely stay until they’re able to rebuild their lives.

 What role do you think women, especially mothers, can play in changing the narrative and raising better children, both boys and girls?

As a mother and a wife, I believe in creating an enabling environment for children. We must be accessible, not just to our own children but to young people in our communities. We need to be their friends, not just disciplinarians.

You shared a beautiful story about your dad educating you about menstruation. That kind of openness is powerful. Many parents don’t create that space. We need to have “the talk” with our children. Tell them the truth, what sex is, what consent means, how relationships work, what boundaries are. Let’s not use baby words. Say penis, vagina, not banana or peepee.

And let’s not forget the boy child. We need to raise boys who respect girls and understand that being a man isn’t about dominance. When they see healthy relationships at home, they replicate that. Boys who see violence and disrespect in their homes tend to carry that out later in life.

You spoke passionately about systemic issues like poverty. Some parents now encourage their children, especially daughters, to engage in exploitative relationships for money. What’s the way forward?

It’s heartbreaking, but yes, it’s happening. Poverty is at the core, but it’s not an excuse. We need to educate both parents and children that there are alternatives. Skills acquisition is critical, hairdressing, tailoring, even informal apprenticeships.

I’ve seen cases where mothers push their daughters into relationships with older men or send them to live with cybercriminals to “learn the trade.” We must break that cycle. Knowledge is power. We need community-wide education, parents need to understand the long-term damage they’re causing.

We can’t fix poverty overnight, but we can provide young people with dignity, purpose, and tools to earn an honest living. That’s the real empowerment.

Thank you for your passion and insight. Any final words?

We need to build a society where women and children know they are protected. Justice is possible, but they must want it, we can only walk the journey with them, not force it on them. We must teach our children right from wrong, raise boys to be allies, and create communities that say, “Enough is enough.” Every little action counts. If we all speak up, we’ll see the change we dream of.