ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2025
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 60,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2025 on 7,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 290+ campuses worldwide (less than 5%) were selected to host the 4,500+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT IFEOLUWA DIVINE ODUBIYI, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.
University of Ibadan | Ibadan, Nigeria | Advancing SDG 5 & UNAI 9
" Empathy and lived experience fuel my passion for advocacy. As an African woman, I have witnessed how gender inequality rooted in traditional practices and societal norms makes women especially vulnerable to abuse. This drives my commitment to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and to promoting quality education for women and girls as a means of bridging the gaps that perpetuate this inequality. I believe the United Nations Millennium Campus Fellowship will position me to challenge these issues by equipping me with the necessary skills as well as teamwork experience and opportunities for collaboration in order to create a lasting impact in my society and the world at large. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Project #SavetheGirlChild
Project Save the Girl Child is an initiative aimed at eradicating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The project focuses on women within local communities as key stakeholders in this issue.
Despite legal frameworks such as the Child’s Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, Nigeria continues to have one of the highest FGM rates in the world. The practice persists, especially in local birth settings, and is often justified as a cultural norm intended to preserve chastity.
Aligned with SDG 5: Gender Equality, Project Save the Girl Child addresses this violation of girls’ rights and dignity through a people-centric approach. By engaging communities, raising awareness, and sensitizing local stakeholders, the project aims to reduce the prevalence of FGM and empower women to protect the rights of future generations.
About the Millennium Fellow
Ifeoluwa Odubiyi is a law student passionate about women’s rights and gender equality. She hails from Ogun State but was raised in Delta State, Nigeria. Growing up, she witnessed firsthand the impact of harmful traditional practices, gender norms, and abuse meted out toward women. This has fueled her passion for protecting women through the instrument of law.
As a third-year law student at the prestigious University of Ibadan, her passion for women's rights has earned her the position of General Secretary of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), University of Ibadan Students’ Chapter, where she actively contributes to initiatives focused on protecting the rights of women.
Ifeoluwa aspires to make a lasting impact by championing the rights of women in her society and the world at large.
