International Women’s Day: Honouring Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, A Pillar Of Hope For Women And Vulnerable

By Jerry Needam

Every year, International Women’s Day arrives with powerful themes, inspiring slogans, and carefully crafted speeches.

In 2026, the global call — “Give to Gain: Rights, Justice & Action” — urges societies to move beyond mere recognition of women’s struggles toward real commitment and meaningful change.

Yet in Nigeria, the season is often filled with contradictions.

The same voices that dominate podiums with passionate speeches about gender equality are sometimes the very ones who undermine the dignity of women in everyday life.

They speak of empowerment while ignoring injustice.

They celebrate women publicly but privately sustain systems that exploit young girls, demand sexual favors in exchange for opportunities, and deny women the space they deserve in leadership and decision-making.

It is in moments like this that the country must pause and ask a critical question: who are the women truly living the ideals we celebrate every March?

Among the few whose actions speak louder than the rhetoric is High Chief Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs.

As the Founder of the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Moni Pulo Petroleum Development Limited, she represents a rare blend of leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment to humanity.

But beyond titles and corporate success, what distinguishes Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs is the depth of her impact on ordinary lives.

Through her foundation and personal initiatives, she has consistently demonstrated what it means to give in order to truly gain.

Widows who once faced abandonment have found renewed hope. Orphans and vulnerable children have received care, education, and dignity.

Young girls who were forced out of school by poverty have been given another chance at learning and at life.

In communities where despair once reigned, her interventions have restored unity in homes and rebuilt the confidence of families struggling at the margins of society.

High Chief Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs embodies a kind of leadership Nigeria urgently needs — leadership rooted not in publicity, but in service.

Her philanthropy is not seasonal. It does not emerge only when cameras appear or when anniversaries demand statements. It is steady, deliberate, and deeply human.

From humanitarian outreach to community development, from faith-based commitments to social upliftment, she has consistently proven that true empowerment lies in lifting others.

As a devoted Christian and church builder, she has also shown that faith, when practized genuinely, translates into compassion and responsibility toward the vulnerable.

In an era where wealth often breeds distance from society’s problems, she has chosen the harder path: using influence and resources to build people.

Perhaps, this is why so many across communities affectionately see her not merely as a leader, but as a dependable mother, a pillar of strength, and an example of purposeful womanhood.

International Women’s Day should never be reduced to ceremonial praise or symbolic gestures.

It should be a moment to spotlight women whose lives embody the ideals of justice, opportunity, and compassion.

By that measure, Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs stands tall.

Her story reminds Nigeria that empowering women is not only about policy discussions or conference declarations.

It is about tangible action — educating the girl child, supporting widows, protecting the vulnerable, and creating pathways for dignity and prosperity.

As the world reflects on the theme “Give to Gain: Rights, Justice & Action,” Nigeria would do well to celebrate and emulate women like Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs — women who give tirelessly so that others may gain hope, opportunity, and a future.

In honoring her, we are not merely celebrating one woman.

We are affirming the kind of leadership that can truly transform a nation.

And that, indeed, is the true spirit of International Women’s Day.