By Rachel Anyanwu (Ada the welder)— Youth Chair, NILOWV
There is a sacred fire that lives in the heart of every girl. A pulse that beats louder than the noise of oppression. On this 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, themed “The Girl That I Am, The Changes I Lead: Girls at the Frontlines of Crisis”, we move beyond celebration to summoning the genuine power that girls have inherent in them.
For centuries, society has placed the girl child at the periphery, silencing her voice and dimming her light. But daughters of the sun do not remain in the shadows for long. They rise, not timidly, but with a power that unsettles the walls built to contain them.
Across villages and cities, classrooms and battlefields, girls are not just surviving storms; they are becoming the storm itself. They are negotiating peace, innovating solutions, defending their rights, and leading movements that rewrite destiny.
As Youth Chair of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), I have seen this power firsthand; in the eyes of young women who refuse to bow, in the fists of girls who forge their own path, and in the voices that echo through corridors of power demanding space. Just like the National body of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV) alongside other NGO’s and CSO’s have consistently done in support of the Special seats bill.
Our mission is clear: to amplify that fire, not tame it. To create pathways where young women lead boldly. Not as exceptions, but as the new standard. Through political education, leadership mentoring, and civic engagement, we prepare them to not just inherit the future, but command the present.
And to the world, I say: the girl child is not a footnote in history. She is history. She is the disruption, the reformer, the storm-bringer and the healer.
This is not a soft call.
This is a war cry wrapped in gold.
Let us rise with our girls — not to speak for them, but to stand beside them as they shape nations and awaken futures.
Because when a girl leads, empires shift.
When a girl stands, the earth trembles.
And when a girl dreams… the world obeys. Because…
