Since HERtitude鈥檚 launch in 2022, it has grown into one of the most anticipated events in the Nigerian woman’s calendar. Over 7,000 women have attended across all editions, making it a cultural touchstone for a generation.

The 2026 edition arrives with a theme that speaks directly to the HERtitude woman: Main Character Energy. This year, attendees are invited to show up as their coolest, boldest, most colourful selves. 

91大神 has spent months leading up to the event releasing a series of personality archetypes that represent the many women who make up the HERtitude community: the becoming woman, the wellness babe, the culture keeper, the corporate baddie, the mother, and more. Attendees can take this quiz to discover their archetype and let it inspire how they show up on the day.

For this fifth edition, 91大神 is proud to announce OPay as the Platinum Sponsor. , one of Africa’s fastest-growing fintech platforms, will power a first-of-its-kind activation at the event: the OPay Shopping Zone.

The OPay Shopping Zone will serve as HERtitude’s largest and most vibrant marketplace, a fully branded retail and vendor district where women can discover unique products, fashion, beauty services, food and drink vendors, and wellness offerings. All participating vendors will be set up to accept payments seamlessly through OPay, turning the zone into a live showcase of OPay’s reliability, ease, and reach in supporting everyday commerce.

Ahead of the event, OPay will onboard vendors directly onto the platform. Selected women-owned businesses will also be spotlighted on 91大神. On the day, attendees can look forward to the OPay “Shop & Win” flash giveaways 鈥� cashless, fast, and built for the energy of the room.

鈥淭his partnership with HERtitude reaffirms our strong commitment to enabling inclusive economic opportunities and supporting platforms that empower women at scale. By simplifying how people pay and get paid, we are not only enhancing the event experience but also driving real economic impact for vendors and attendees alike.

At OPay, we always put our customers first, and when women are empowered to participate fully in the economy, everyone benefits. HERtitude 2026 gives us a powerful platform to bring this to life, and we are proud to be part of a movement that celebrates, supports, and accelerates women鈥檚 ambitions,鈥� Elizabeth Wang, Chief Commercial Officer, OPay.

What to Expect at HERtitude 2026

This year’s event brings back some HERtitude classics and introduces exciting new activations, including a fashion show, a dance competition, and beauty, hair, and wellness activations from sponsors and vendors. Music performances will feature Fimi, Majesty Lyn, and Fewa, with Axara as the headline DJ.

Aunty Z, a live, on-stage Q&A session where attendees can submit burning questions on relationships, career, money, and life to a panel of special guests. This year’s Aunty Z panel features Nollywood actress Chigul, actress Michelle Dede, and content creator and social media influencer Amaka Amaku. Also, the inaugural 91大神 Women of the Year Award will be announced and celebrated live on stage at HERtitude.

“This is our fifth year, and while a lot has changed, the heart of HERtitude hasn鈥檛: women showing up for themselves and each other. Over 7,000 women have been part of this, each bringing something special to the room.

With Main Character Energy as this year鈥檚 theme, we want every woman to fully own who she is 鈥� bold, vibrant, unapologetic. That鈥檚 what HERtitude is about. And I鈥檓 proud we get to do this for the fifth time,鈥� Damilola Olatunji, Managing Editor, 91大神.

HERtitude 2026 is proudly sponsored by OPay as the Platinum Sponsor, alongside other sponsors such as Hair Harmony, ZedcrestWealth, BIC, Elan x Aviv, Sosa Fruit Drink, My Lab Africa, and many others. 

Also supported by media partners, including Marie Claire Nigeria, 21 Magazine, She Code Africa, WeTech, We Talk Sound, She Leads Africa, and so much more.

Tickets are available at . The venue will be sent to all ticket holders via email in the days leading up to the event. Attendees are encouraged to keep an eye on their inboxes.

The 91大神 women-only event, designed for connection, healing, joy, and the hot babes, is officially back this April 2026, and the theme is a reminder that you deserve to take up space. This year鈥檚 theme is Main Character Energy. 

This 5th edition feels extra special because five years in, we鈥檝e watched the HERtitude community grow into something bigger than an event. It鈥檚 become a space where women show up fully as themselves, meet other women who just get it, and leave feeling lighter, louder, and more sure of who they are. This year, we鈥檙e leaning all the way into that.

This theme is about reclaiming your voice, choices, confidence, and softness, all at the same time. It鈥檚 about being the woman who stops shrinking to fit other people鈥檚 comfort. The woman who prioritises her joy and takes up space without apology. It鈥檚 also about finally stepping into the version of yourself you鈥檝e been postponing.

If you鈥檝e been at HERtitude before, you already know the vibe. If this is going to be your first HERtitude, just know this: it鈥檚 not your regular women鈥檚 event. At HERtitude 2026, you can expect:

Community Moments

HERtitude has always been about women meeting women. Whether you come with your friends or show up solo, you鈥檒l leave with new connections.

Fun

There will be music, good vibes, and immersive moments designed to make you feel present and let loose.

Interactive Experiences

Expect activations, pop-ups, and spaces that make the event feel like more than a sit-down-and-listen affair. At HERtitude, you have so much joy, laughter, fun, and the kind of energy that stays with you long after you leave.

HERtitude has become one of 91大神鈥檚 proudest community-building projects. What started as an idea to create an intentional space for women has grown into something that thousands of women look forward to every year. Because it鈥檚 the 5th edition, this year鈥檚 HERtitude will be even more meaningful. It won鈥檛 be louder for the sake of being loud; it will be more intentional and layered. 

Tickets Are Now Available

Tickets for HERtitude 2026 are now live, and if you know anything about HERtitude, you know you should not wait until the last minute.

We鈥檒l also be announcing more details in the coming weeks, including performances, sponsors, and activities you can look forward to.

See You at HERtitude

Here are ten hacks to help you survive the season peacefully.

1. Let your loudest friend handle all the planning

Every crew has that one overactive planner who knows every rave, brunch and beach day. Allow them to shine. Your own job is to show up moisturised.

2. Make the Panarottis app your workday lifeline

Lunch stress is unnecessary stress. Instead of stepping out in the sun and traffic, order pizza and keep your energy for the real December activities.

3. Build a personal traffic survival kit

Power bank, water and pizza slices. Perfect for surviving the Third Mainland traffic and still arriving like someone who has sense.

4. Perfect your 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 hear you鈥� face during bill-splitting moments

It鈥檚 a talent. Practice it. Protect your wallet. Then reward yourself later with Panarottis because at least pizza won鈥檛 judge you.

5. Keep one emergency December outfit ready

For IJGB meetups, random hangouts and last-minute 鈥渨e鈥檙e outside tonight.鈥� One ironed outfit can save your entire reputation.

6. Avoid any conversation that starts with 鈥淪o what are we doing next year?鈥�

It鈥檚 December. You鈥檙e trying to relax. Heavy conversations can resume in January. Use pizza as a distraction if necessary.

7. Choose soft life over unnecessary movement

If the venue is too far, skip it. If the sun is too hot, skip it. If your spirit says stay home, listen. Order in and enjoy your peace.

8. Claim your right to disappear strategically

Not every outing needs your attendance. Sometimes the softest life is staying indoors with a warm box of pizza and your favourite playlist.

9. Always have a small-win treat for surviving the day

Finished a deadline? Survived a family function? Didn鈥檛 curse anyone in traffic? Celebrate with a new Panarottis flavour. December is for enjoyment.

10. Remember that food is the real festive hack

Events can flop. Friends can stress you. The weather can embarrass you. But pizza will never disappoint. Order through the Panarottis app or walk into the closest branch and let happiness meet you.

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鈥淭hat moment hurt,鈥� Ayobami told me. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just about the money. It was that a child would rather destroy information about his own body than face it. That showed me, again, how wide the gap is between what young people need and what adults think they should know.鈥�

Ayobami runs two interlocking initiatives, Sex Education with Balmbam and Teach A Boy Child (TAB), both designed to deliver age-appropriate, factual Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) education to adolescents across Lagos and beyond. Her work ranges from school workshops to an active WhatsApp community.

What sets Ayobami鈥檚 work apart, though, is how she brings faith into the conversation. A committed Christian, she works closely with churches and faith leaders to teach young people about sexual health through a moral and spiritual lens, one that promotes abstinence while also providing factual, science-based education about their bodies. 鈥淚 always tell parents and pastors that knowledge doesn鈥檛 corrupt,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t empowers. You can teach abstinence and still teach sex.鈥�

The mission is simple: to educate on sex, make space for questions about consent and abuse, and bring boys into conversations that often focus only on girls.

What is SRHR? It means that every adolescent has the right to accurate information, bodily autonomy, safe relationships, access to reproductive health services, and the freedom to decide about their sexual and reproductive life, without coercion, discrimination, or violence.

And the defines sexual and reproductive health as 鈥�… that people are able to have satisfying and safe sex lives, to have healthy pregnancies and births, and decide if, when and how often to have children. Access to sexual and reproductive health services is a human right.鈥�

Despite growing awareness about sexual and reproductive health, access remains low among Nigerian adolescents. that only 38.2% of young people in Enugu State, Nigeria, aged 12 to 22 had never used sexual and reproductive health services, highlighting the deep gaps in information, stigma, and access.

Why Faith, and how ‘Sex Education with Balmbam’ bridges it

Ayobami鈥檚 own life is the engine behind her work. She disclosed that she was sexually abused from childhood into adolescence 鈥� an experience that drove her to study sex education, secure scholarships for international certification, and build programs that speak directly to the needs she once faced.

That background also shaped an approach that deliberately engages religious communities. Many Christian parents and leaders, she says, view frank conversations about sex as a threat to morality. During a university class, she remembered, a fellow Christian student actually covered her ears and began to pray aloud when sex was being discussed.

鈥淐hristian communities have demonised sex so much that married couples sometimes struggle physically and emotionally,鈥� Ayobami said. 鈥淭eaching sex or pleasure is not anti-spiritual. I tell church groups up front: I will use the proper words. If you can鈥檛 accept that, I can鈥檛 teach here.鈥�

Her faith-forward framing, a project called Sex-gelism (Sex + Evangelism), aims to reconcile Christian belief with comprehensive SRHR. It helps her enter spaces many sex educators cannot. She insists on clarity rather than euphemism: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 call their body parts by silly names. It鈥檚 the penis, vagina, vulva, and breast. Language matters.鈥�

Cultural barriers: parents, protocols and silence

Across Lagos, she said, parents are the primary barrier. In one recent outreach, a boy confessed he had been punished and labeled 鈥渄emonic鈥� after his parents discovered he had watched pornography. Rather than guiding him, the adults had punished and shamed him.

鈥淧arents demonised the child,鈥� Ayobami said. 鈥淭hey see exposure as sin, not an opportunity to educate. We must involve parents before we teach children. When parents understand what will be taught, they usually relax.鈥�

Teachers and school staff are often more receptive than religious leaders, Ada, a teacher who worked with Ayobami on the TAB project, said. Ada described how the project delivered lesson plans and educational materials that filled gaps schools were not equipped to cover. But she also warned of resistance in mixed-gender classrooms, cultural and religious pushback from parents, and a lack of training and resources for staff.

There are institutional hurdles, too. Ayobami said public schools are often inaccessible because of bureaucracy: 鈥淕o to the ministry, they give you a date that doesn鈥檛 work. It鈥檚 easier to work with private schools.鈥� That administrative inertia, coupled with the absence of government sponsorship, forces many small NGOs to rely on community, family, and modest donor support.

Solutions in practice: WhatsApp, peer education and teacher training

Ayobami鈥檚 methods are deliberately practical and youth-centred. She prioritises age-appropriateness: educators confirm age ranges before sessions and tailor content accordingly. She runs peer education and WhatsApp groups where adolescents can ask questions privately and maintain anonymity; she mentors volunteers who then deliver classroom sessions and community events, like a mini-conference held for the International Day of the Girl Child in partnership with a local brand.

Favour, a volunteer, described her experience: she joined Ayobami鈥檚 WhatsApp community, volunteered at school outreach events, and saw the immediate uptake among girls. 鈥淭he school proprietor said they had never had anything like this. The girls were so receptive,鈥� she said.

The work also includes counselling and healing sessions for survivors. Ayobami recounted a camper who reported attempted molestation after a festival; the girl resisted further harm, a response Ayobami credits in part to earlier education on body autonomy and consent. She has also worked with adults recovering from sexual pleasure after trauma and men who seek redemption after offending.

Ayobami estimates she has reached over 2,000 young people and worked with more than 20 schools, and her WhatsApp community has over 1,000 members. She partners with national and local organisations, including , , and fellows, but stresses the need for government recognition and funding.

鈥淚f I had 鈧�50鈥撯偊100 million, I could roll TAB out across Nigeria and into other African countries,鈥� she said. 鈥淧olicy implementation is crucial. SRHR is often treated as a girls-only issue. Boys must be included. Also, we need young trainers; old methods don鈥檛 work with today鈥檚 adolescents.鈥�

She also named a persistent problem: capacity. Small NGOs are often run by a handful of exhausted founders who need professional staff and reliable funding. And public institutions rarely fund grassroots sex education initiatives, leaving critical work under-resourced and fragmented.

From the interviews, it鈥檚 clear that practical, respectful engagement works. Teachers who co-design lessons, parents briefed in advance, faith-based framing that does not denigrate religion, age-appropriate modules, and safe digital spaces all reduce resistance. Peer testimony, girls and boys sharing what they learned, helps normalise SRHR education.

But systemic change is needed. Ayobami and the educators want three policy shifts:

• Integrate comprehensive SRHR into the school curriculum, not as an optional add-on but as a standard subject.
  
• Fund and professionalise grassroots organisations so they can hire staff and scale.
  
• Ensure boys are explicitly included in national SRHR guidelines and programmes.

Hope?

Back in that school office, after the boy tore out the page, Ayobami did not give up. She redesigned the workbook, worked with teachers to prepare students emotionally and built a WhatsApp forum where questions could be asked privately. Months later, the same school invited her back.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not solving everything,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut every time a child knows the name of their body part, knows consent, knows who to tell if something happens 鈥� that鈥檚 a life changed. That is what keeps me going.鈥�

This story is made possible with support from Nigeria Health Watch as part of the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative.

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Adeola considered accepting the rumour, contemplating within herself if the vaccine would really affect her daughter, like the Facebook posts said. The fear almost stopped Adeola from getting her daughter protected against cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer amongst Nigerian women, killing more than 8,000 women every year, with 12,000 new cases recorded in 2020 alone, according to the . Almost all cases are linked to HPV, a virus so common that four in five sexually active people are guaranteed to get it at some point.

The vaccine is one of the most effective tools of prevention: HPV types 16 and 18 alone cause at least 70% of cervical cancers. Yet in Lagos, as across much of Nigeria, misinformation and mistrust are slowing down vaccine uptake, despite the government鈥檚 ambitious plan to vaccinate millions of girls aged 9鈥�14 years in its 2023 rollout, the largest HPV campaign in Africa. By the end of the introduction phase, more than 12 million girls nationwide had been vaccinated, according to official figures.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what to believe,鈥� Adeola recalled. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until a doctor explained to me that I became convinced. The doctor told me clearly: The vaccine doesn鈥檛 affect fertility, it protects against cervical cancer.鈥�

After her daughter received the vaccine at a government health facility, Adeola tried to share her experience with other mothers in her community, hoping it would ease their fears. But the rumours proved harder to shake off than she expected. 鈥淧eople are difficult to convince,鈥� she admitted. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how to change their minds.鈥�

, established in 2016, was born out of a pressing need to close Nigeria鈥檚 immunisation gaps. At the time, routine vaccine coverage remained dangerously low, donor funding was beginning to waver, and millions of children risked being left behind. The coalition drew its strength from women-led organisations, recognising that women, often the primary decision-makers for family health, could be powerful advocates in demanding sustainable financing and equitable access to vaccines. 

To address fear around the HPV vaccine, WAVA has focused on advocacy, policy engagement, and empowering women’s voices. , Director of Programs at WAVA, said, 鈥淲e realised that one of the biggest barriers wasn鈥檛 access. It was fear. Many women worried about infertility, and others thought it was a vaccine only for teenagers. So, our work is to give correct, relatable information.鈥�

Through its advocacy, WAVA has partnered with health agencies and communities to push for stronger vaccine uptake. One of their flagship efforts is the Amplify project, which equips young people and women leaders with skills to advocate for routine immunisation, including HPV. “We want girls and women to lead the conversation,” Goodness explained. “From essay competitions to digital campaigns, we are creating platforms for them to speak directly to decision-makers.”

Tackling Disinformation

, convener of WAVA and faculty member at says the roots of hesitancy in Lagos go deeper than casual gossip.

鈥淭here was a disinformation campaign just before the vaccine was introduced in the country,鈥� she explained. Some people willfully created false narratives, like HPV vaccines causing infertility, for political or financial reasons. 鈥淭hat campaign had a dampening effect, especially in Lagos, where you鈥檇 expect higher uptake because of education levels and general acceptance of childhood vaccines.鈥�

This disinformation made a dangerous mix with cultural and religious concerns. According to Dr. Womi Samuel-Nnah, Research Assistant for SHARP (a Johns Hopkins University project) and WAVA鈥檚 Lagos focal person, many parents struggled with the idea of talking about sexual health with girls as young as nine. 鈥淪ome parents felt it was too early. Others simply didn鈥檛 know HPV was a major cause of cervical cancer. And then you鈥檇 hear things like, 鈥楪overnment wants to reduce Nigeria鈥檚 population by giving this vaccine.鈥� These beliefs came up again and again in the communities.鈥�

Evidence and Impact

Dr. Womi-Samuel recalled one striking moment during an outreach in Lagos. 鈥淎 mother refused, insisting the vaccine was population control. But another woman stood up and said she paid 鈧�60,000 privately for her daughter鈥檚 HPV vaccine. She explained in Yoruba why it was important. That testimony changed minds on the spot. Parents started bringing out their daughters to get vaccinated. That kind of peer-to-peer persuasion works even better than anything we can say.鈥�

In schools, WAVA and its partners are already seeing changes. 鈥淚n one school, after our session, over 100 girls were registered for HPV vaccination,鈥� Dr. Womi-Samuel said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we know the narrative is shifting.鈥�

The testimonies of parents who made private sacrifices for the vaccine have also become powerful proof. 鈥淲hen someone spends that much money on something, people take it seriously. They start asking: If she paid, maybe this thing is truly valuable. That鈥檚 evidence of trust spreading within communities,鈥� she added.

Learnings and Limitations

WAVA鈥檚 work has also revealed surprising insights into hesitancy.

鈥淚nterestingly, vaccine refusal doesn鈥檛 always follow education lines,鈥� Goodness noted. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 expect literate, urban parents to be more accepting. But because of the early disinformation campaign, you sometimes find them more resistant than rural families. On the other hand, once women in less urban areas understand HPV鈥檚 link to cervical cancer, they are eager.鈥�

Language and trust are equally crucial. 鈥淲e realised mothers trust other mothers more than health workers,鈥� Dr. Chizoba said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we focus on community champions who can share their own stories in their local language. It works better than medical jargon.鈥�

But the work is not without limits. Like many advocacy groups, WAVA grapples with dwindling donor support and the pressure to secure sustainable local funding for its activities. Capacity is another recurring hurdle; many smaller organisations in the coalition operate with lean teams and limited resources, making it challenging to sustain consistent outreach across multiple states. Beyond money and manpower, the persistent challenge of mistrust and misinformation demands ongoing community sensitisation to shift attitudes toward immunisation.

A Personal Reflection

Reporting this story made me confront my own blind spots. I wasn鈥檛 even sure whether I had taken the vaccine myself. When I asked my female friends, most of them weren鈥檛 sure either. That uncertainty shook me. If educated women like us with access to information didn鈥檛 know, how much harder must it be for women with less access to information?

Women like Adeola, once doubtful but now convinced, are showing their communities what鈥檚 possible. And advocates like WAVA are building systems to ensure those voices ripple outward. The hope is that one day soon, the whisper that girls won鈥檛 get pregnant if they take the HPV vaccine will fade into history, replaced by the louder truth that this vaccine saves lives.

As WAVA and other advocates continue their push, the hope is that more women in Agege, Surulere, Ikorodu, and Lekki will see the HPV vaccine not as a threat but as protection. For Adeola, the choice has already been made. She feels relieved. She knows she has done the right thing for herself, and she鈥檚 hoping other women will believe it too.

This story is made possible with support from Nigeria Health Watch as part of the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative.

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Also Read: Nigerian Women on Their Life-Changing Female Friendships