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A student, Dayo Alade Daniel, has emerged winner of the 2025 WeNaija Health Advocacy Campaign receiving a prize of ₦1 million and a laptop at the WeNaija Youth Impact event organised by the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) in Lagos.
Anita Nwokoji clinched the second position with ₦500,000 and a laptop, while Efaemiode Ikoi Iran placed third, taking home ₦400,000 and a laptop.
Other winners include Esther Okwumo (fourth, ₦300,000 and a laptop) and Emmanuel Shalom (fifth, ₦200,000 and a laptop).
The WeNaija Campaign, which received more than 400 entries, focused on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH).
The theme of the campaign is “Own Your Choice”. The key theme is the “Dangers of an Incomplete Sexual and Reproductive Health”.
Why Sexual and Reproductive Health?
Speaking at the event, Dr. Feijiro Chinye -Nwoko, Managing Director of NSSF, said the choice of the theme was driven by young people who identified SRH as one of the most pressing but least discussed health challenges they face.
“Sexual and reproductive health has become a silent crisis. Many people assume they understand it because they are older, but there is deep ignorance,” she said.
“We are seeing maternal deaths, mental health issues and premature deaths linked to SRH. The youths asked us to focus on this, and we listened.”
She said the organisation aims to build the capacity of youth participants by equipping them with accurate information and training them to champion change in their communities.
Judging the Entries – Messaging and Creativity
A judge in the competition, Mr. Ojehonmon Okugbe, said storytelling quality played a significant role in selecting the winners.
“Young people have short attention spans, so how information is packaged is just as important as the information itself,” Okugbe said
“I assessed simplicity of language, relevance of visuals, and how relatable their methods were.
“Some entries were outstandingrap, spoken word, acting. You could tell they understood the message and were passionate.”
Experts Call for Better Sex Education
Also speaking, consultant clinical psychologist, Dr. Busola Olamuymiwa, said lack of accurate SRH information is placing millions of young Nigerians at risk.
“Children as young as nine are now having sex, yet we are not giving them the information they need,” she said.
“We need proper sex education in schools, taught by professionals who are not afraid to call things by their correct names. If we don’t teach them, they learn from social media and peers, often in unsafe ways.”
She said churches, parents and community leaders also need to be more open to professional-led conversations to curb harmful misinformation.
Impact So Far
Dr Chinye-Nwoko said more than two million youths have been reached through WeNaija programmes in the last five years, including the Impact Awards and advocacy cohorts which run twice a year.
“Our goal is to reach 10 to 15 million young Nigerians. WeNaija is a platform that gives them access to data, stakeholders and opportunities to create community-level change,” she added.
By Fabian Ekeruche
