Today on #WorldHealthDay, I echo the @WHO global call for collective action, Together for Health, Stand with Science, grounded in urgency, equity and shared responsibility.

As a member of the @WHO Civil Society Commission and an accredited Non-State Actor with @WHO_Africa, the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, through the Wellbeing Africa Institute of Research and Development #WAIRD, is engaging alongside nearly 800 scientific institutions across more than 80 countries convened through the One Health Summit in Lyon and the WHO Global Forum of Collaborating Centres.

The #OneHealth approach recognises the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health. With over 60% of emerging infectious diseases originating in animals, and with climate and ecosystem pressures accelerating risk, integrated and science led responses across sectors are essential.

At #WBFA, this is reflected in our work across maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health systems, where prevention, safe care and community level action intersect with wider environmental and public health determinants.

To stand with science is to protect the institutions, partnerships and financing that translate evidence into equitable outcomes, and to sustain trust in public health guidance at every level.

#WellbeingForAll ...

The introduction of my darling god-daughter Temitope and Maro brought together the Coker and Malaka families in a meaningful expression of unity and shared intention. It reflected the importance of tradition as a foundation for partnership, grounding the union in respect and collective support.

Such moments carry significance, shaping not only the beginning of a shared life, but the strength of the journey that follows. Wishing them both a future guided by mutual respect, understanding, and lasting happiness! ...

As I attended the fragrance unveiling of Alethea K, An Intimate Expression of Elegance Crafted to Linger, I experienced a carefully composed expression of refinement, creativity, and enduring elegance. It reflected a thoughtful appreciation for craftsmanship and the power of scent to evoke memory, identity, and emotion.

I wish the team at @aletheak_lifestyle every success as this creation finds its place and lingers with meaning in the world!

#AletheaK ...

As I begin the work week, I extend my warmest congratulations to my dear sister and partner in impact H.E. @MonicaGeingos on the conferment of an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from the @University_of_Johannesburg.

This distinguished honour recognises a life defined by principled leadership and sustained service to social justice and human development across our continent. During her tenure as First Lady of Namibia, and as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development @OAFLAD, Monica demonstrated how public leadership can be used with purpose to expand access to health, education, and opportunity for women and young people. Through the @OneEconomyFoundation and the #BeFree movement, she continues to advance a clear and deeply human vision for inclusive development.

It has been a privilege to work alongside her through @AfricaREACH1, where, as Chair of the Leadership Council, she has driven African-led advocacy and action for the health and wellbeing of children, adolescents, and young people.

I join many others in celebrating this well-deserved recognition and look forward to continued partnership in service of dignity, equity, and opportunity across Africa.

#WellbeingForAll
#MaternalMonday ...

I am sincerely grateful for the condolence visit and kind expressions of sympathy from Honourable Justice Adenike Josephine Coker, a distinguished Judge of the High Court of Lagos State since 2001, who currently serves on the bench of the High Court of The Gambia, and is an accomplished legal practitioner educated in Lagos and at King’s College London.

The judicial office embodies exceptional wisdom, unassailable integrity, and an unwavering commitment to justice, as reflected in her distinguished service, standing among the eminent Nigerian jurists who have served, and continue to serve, with distinction in The Gambia.

Her presence, grace, and words of comfort were deeply appreciated during this time, and I thank her for honouring the memory of my late father with such dignity and compassion. ...

I welcome the release of the @BayerOfficial Sustainability Council 2025 Annual Report, to which I was honoured to contribute through active advisory engagement, strategic review, and the provision of systems-level insight alongside my fellow Council members.

As an independent body of global experts, the Council plays a vital role in both supporting and constructively challenging Bayer’s leadership, ensuring that sustainability commitments are not simply ambitious but measurable, accountable, and firmly anchored in real-world impact.

This year’s report reflects meaningful progress at scale, with Bayer reaching more than 80 million people in undersupported communities through self-care interventions and 68 million women with access to modern contraception, while continuing to advance its ambition to reach 100 million women annually by 2030. These figures reflect tangible progress, representing lives improved, choices expanded, and futures strengthened across communities where access has too often been limited.

My contribution to this work has been shaped by a sustained focus on the intersection of climate and health, particularly through African and Nigerian perspectives, where the impacts of climate change are already accelerating risks for maternal, newborn, and child health. Across many communities, heat stress, food insecurity, and shifting disease patterns are converging in ways that place additional strain on families and health systems, and it is essential that these lived realities inform global strategy and decision-making.

The report further highlights advances in nutrition, agriculture, and global health delivery, from expanding access to micronutrients to supporting smallholder farmers and strengthening supply chains in low and middle-income settings.

I look forward to continuing this important collaboration with fellow Council members, Bayer teams, and through my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation as we work collectively to advance climate, nutrition and health integration, strengthen systems, and deliver meaningful progress for communities across Africa and globally.

#StrongerTogether
#HealthForAll
#WellbeingForAll
#HungerForNone
#FrontlineFriday ...

We are deeply grateful for the thoughtful condolence visit and kind expressions of sympathy from the leadership and team of SLB (Schlumberger), led by Jean-Marc Kloss, Managing Director, Nigeria & West Africa, Victor Onyechi MD, MI Drilling Fluids, and Segun Kumoluyi Esq, Legal Counsel for SLB Nigeria.

My late father, HRH Otunba Adekunle Ojora, served with distinction as Chairman of SLB, and it is profoundly meaningful to witness the enduring respect for his legacy of leadership, integrity, and service.

Our reflections during the visit reaffirmed a shared commitment to sustainability, responsible stewardship, and strong ESG principles, values that continue to guide my engagements across global platforms, including my role as a member of the @BayerOfficial Sustainability Council, the @SustainableMarketsInitiative, and its Terra Carta guiding mandate.

It is encouraging to see commitments to energy innovation for a balanced planet reflected in SLB’s 2025 Sustainability Impact Report and its goals towards a carbon-neutral future.

I thank SLB for honouring my father`s memory in such a dignified and forward-looking manner, as we quoted The Otunba`s words, "thank you and thank you very much indeed!" ...

On World TB Day, this year’s theme, Yes! We can End TB! Led by countries. Powered by people, speaks to what is required of us now, decisive leadership and delivery that reaches every community.

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, with over 10 million people falling ill each year and more than 1.2 million lives lost to a preventable and curable disease.

In Nigeria, where the burden remains high, progress depends on strong primary healthcare systems and trusted frontline workers. Through the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, my work has centred on supporting midwives and community health practitioners, strengthening health literacy, and enabling earlier care-seeking, all essential to reducing delayed diagnosis and improving treatment outcomes for TB.

Across global platforms, including my engagements with the @ConcordiaSummit and @StopTB, I continue to advocate for integrated approaches to ending tuberculosis, advancing innovation in case detection, and strengthening financing and partnerships that expand equitable access to care.

Ending TB is achievable. It requires sustained commitment, coordinated action, and systems built around people.

#EndTB
#WorldTBDay
#WellbeingForAll ...

Water is not merely infrastructure; it is the foundation of health, dignity, survival, and resilient systems.

Following World Water Day, I remain deeply committed to advancing the integration of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene across health care facilities, schools, and communities, as my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation recognises #WASH as a central pillar of maternal, newborn and child health, and of strengthened health systems.

Through our #WBFA programming, we have cumulatively reached more than 2 million women, children and families, including over 300,000 annually, across hundreds of health care facilities and more than 600 schools. We have trained over 5,000 frontline health workers in infection prevention and control, and supported tens of thousands of mothers and pregnant women through essential maternal health and hygiene interventions.

Yet, the unmet need remains profound.

Globally, one in four health care facilities still lacks basic water services, compromising safe childbirth, weakening infection prevention and control, and increasing the risk of preventable infections, including maternal sepsis. As highlighted by @BBCAfrica, citing @WaterAid research, mothers in sub-Saharan Africa are nearly 150 times more likely to die from sepsis than those in Western Europe and North America, with inadequate access to clean water and hygienic delivery environments remaining a critical driver of maternal mortality. Across Nigeria and comparable contexts, persistent gaps in reliable water and sanitation in facilities, schools, and communities continue to drive preventable disease, deepen inequities, and contribute to avoidable maternal and newborn mortality.

We continue to focus where the need is greatest, strengthening access to clean water, sanitation, and infection prevention in every delivery environment; supporting midwives and health workers to embed safe hygiene practices into every birth; and advancing hygiene education, behaviour change, and prevention systems across schools and communities.

Clean water saves lives.
Safe births build futures.
WASH is not optional; it is foundational.

#WorldWaterDay
#WASHForWellbeing
#MaternalMonday ...

This week in London, I was delighted to accept the invitation of my dear friend Cherie Blair CBE KC to attend a high-level ministerial dialogue on advancing women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria, convened by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women @CherieBlairfndn in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development @fmwangr, the @LabourAfricanNetwork, and @TheOsahonOkunboFoundation.

The session opened with remarks by Deputy Prime Minister @DavidLammy, signalling clear UK–Nigeria political commitment to advancing women’s economic opportunity as a core development priority. The dialogue, expertly moderated by @Dr.YvonneThompson_CBE_Wintrade, featured a fireside conversation led by @Dr.Emuwa between Honourable Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim @HM_WomenAffairs and Cherie, where I listened with interest as the Honourable Minister set out her strategic priorities for strengthening the enabling environment for women-led enterprises. I also valued the goodwill message delivered by @OloriAtuwatseiii, reinforcing the importance of collective leadership in advancing women’s economic inclusion.

Taking place in the lead-up to the historic Nigeria–United Kingdom State Visit, the first in 37 years, this convening heralded the introduction of the #SheThrives initiative, a collaborative effort to expand women’s access to skills, markets, finance, digital tools and networks, alongside supportive policy frameworks, marking a shift towards more integrated, partnership-driven approaches to addressing the structural barriers women entrepreneurs continue to face.

At the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, we recognise that women’s economic participation is fundamental to inclusive growth, national development and long-term prosperity, and we look forward to continued collaboration to ensure that policy ambition translates into sustained, measurable impact for women in Nigeria and across Africa.

#WellbeingEconomy
#ThriveThursday ...