Oyo Market Women Take Their Demands to Ilubinrin, Applaud Temilade Aloko’s Advocacy -

The Coalition of Market Women Representatives in Oyo State, under the guidance of the Executive Director of Iyamopo Centre for Peace, Women and Youth Development, Ibadan, Mrs. Sherifat Taleat-Arafat, has paid a courtesy visit to broadcaster and women’s rights advocate, Temilade Aloko of Splash FM 105.5, in recognition of her sustained advocacy for women through her radio programme, Ilubinrin.

The visit, which took place at the Programmes Department of Splash FM, was aimed at appreciating Aloko’s commitment to amplifying women’s voices and creating a platform where issues affecting women are discussed, examined and brought to public attention.

Ilubinrin, a female-focused radio programme on Splash FM 105.5, was launched on air in October 2023 and anchored by Temilade Aloko. The weekly programme was established to provide a dedicated platform for conversations around issues affecting women, including women’s leadership and political participation, health, economic empowerment, gender-based violence, family and social issues, among others.

Since its inception, the programme has consistently explored a wide range of issues affecting women across different backgrounds, while providing opportunities for experts, advocates, policymakers and members of the public to contribute to conversations on women’s rights, welfare and development.

The market women coalition described Aloko’s work through Ilubinrin as a significant contribution to the advancement of women, particularly because radio remains an important tool for reaching women at the grassroots.

The coalition also used the visit to present the Needs Assessment Report and Charter of Demand, developed following an assessment of the needs and challenges of market women and commodity associations across Oyo State, with support from Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS), Abuja, Nigeria.

The Charter of Demand is intended to serve as an advocacy document outlining key concerns, priorities and demands identified by market women. The coalition is seeking strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including the media, to ensure that these issues receive sustained public attention and are translated into meaningful conversations and action.

Presenting the documents to Aloko, Mrs. Sherifat Taleat-Arafat encouraged her to work with the findings and demands contained in the Charter as part of the content direction for future editions of Ilubinrin.

According to the coalition, using the platform of Ilubinrin to consistently discuss issues identified by market women would help bridge the gap between policymakers and women at the grassroots, while also giving visibility to concerns that may otherwise remain unheard.

The presentation therefore represents more than a courtesy visit. It is also an attempt to strengthen collaboration between grassroots women, civil society and the media in promoting policies and interventions that respond to the realities of women in Oyo State.

Receiving the coalition, Temilade Aloko expressed appreciation for the recognition and the confidence reposed in Ilubinrin as a platform capable of advancing women’s interests.

She noted that the Charter of Demand would provide useful material for developing focused conversations around the actual needs of women, particularly those operating within the informal sector.

The producer of Ilubinrin, Oluwaseun Akinola, who is also the Head of Programmes at Splash FM, described the Charter of Demand as a valuable document that could further enrich the programme’s content and help the production team develop conversations that are directly connected to the lived realities of women in Oyo State.

Akinola noted that the document would provide useful direction for developing programme content around issues that directly affect women, particularly market women and other women operating within the informal sector.

The collaboration is expected to create a stronger link between the concerns identified by market women and the wider public discourse, with Ilubinrin providing a platform for discussing the issues, engaging relevant authorities and tracking possible responses.

For the coalition, the partnership is also an opportunity to ensure that the voices of market women—who constitute a significant part of Oyo State’s informal economy—are not only heard but also incorporated into conversations around development, governance, economic empowerment and social protection.

The visit underscores the growing importance of women-focused media platforms in driving grassroots advocacy and ensuring that policies and programmes affecting women reflect their lived experiences and expressed needs.

As Ilubinrin continues its weekly conversations on women and society, the Charter of Demand could provide a practical roadmap for taking the programme beyond discussion to structured advocacy, accountability and action on issues that matter most to women in Oyo State.