Betty Abah

Betty Abah
Born	(1974-03-06) March 6, 1974 Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author, advocate
Years active	1999–present
Known for	Founder and Executive Director of CEE HOPE; advocacy for women's and children's rights

Betty Abah (born March 6, 1974) is a Nigerian journalist, author, and advocate for the rights of women and children. She serves as the Founder and Executive Director of CEE HOPE, a Lagos-based non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the development and rights of the girl child.

Early life|Education

Abah hails from Otukpo, located in Benue State, Nigeria. She completed her undergraduate studies in English and literary studies at the University of Calabar in 1999 and later obtained a master's degree in English literature from the University of Lagos in 2012.

Her professional background includes working with Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, where she managed the women’s campaign unit and coordinated initiatives focused on women’s environmental rights throughout the Niger Delta region and across Africa. Her contributions to journalism and activism have earned multiple accolades both nationally and internationally.

Career

With a robust career in Nigerian journalism, Abah has contributed to The Voice Newspaper in Makurdi, Benue State, as well as Newswatch and Tell Magazine. She was selected as an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow, which enabled her to work with the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Abah is the author of several books including Sound of Broken Chains, Go Tell Our King, and Mother of Multitudes. Following her tenure at Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, she established CEE-HOPE in December 2013 to champion advocacy efforts centered on girl-child development and rights.

Activism

Abah has been a vocal campaigner against human rights abuses, actively supporting causes such as the liberation of the Chibok girls taken by Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria, advocating for environmental justice for women in the Niger Delta, addressing torture incidents in Ejigbo, Lagos, and protesting the kidnapping of Ese Oruru. During the 2019 Menstrual Hygiene Day event in Lagos, she called for free access to sanitary pads for women and girls, drawing attention to the government’s provision of free condoms but not menstrual products.

Her activism encompasses social justice movements including #BringBackOurGirls, Ese Oruru’s case, #JusticeForEjigbo3, and #JusticeForOchanya. In October 2019, she took on editorial responsibilities for a publication chronicling the advocacy surrounding Ochanya Ogbanje. The reach of CEE-HOPE has grown to include states such as Ogun, Plateau, Kaduna, Ebonyi, and Benue among others.

In a 2015 interview with Daily Post, Abah condemned governmental neglect regarding children's safety and welfare, citing the Chibok girls incident as a profound failure impacting human rights and women's dignity nationwide.

Awards, recognitions and fellowships

Accolades awarded to Betty Abah

Year	Designation	Field	Granting Institution
2001	State honor	Community engagement	National Youth Service Corps Nigeria
2003	Journalist of the Year	Media	National Media Merit Awards Nigeria
2006	Fellowship recipient	Internship programs	Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships, USA
2006	Journalism Fellow	Media	The Knight Journalism Press Fellowship, USA
2006	Fellowship awardee	Journalism	The Kaiser Family HIV/AIDS Fellowship, USA
2008	Child-Friendly Reporter of the Year	Journalism	Media Excellence
2010	Participant	Leadership training	Global Tobacco Control Leadership Program, Johns Hopkins University, USA
2012	Honorable mention	Poetry competition	Association of Nigerian Authors
2014	Honorable mention	Investigative journalism	Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting
2016	Print Journalist of the Year	Journalism	Nigeria Media Merit Award
2019	Visiting Fellow	Human rights advocacy	Human Rights Defenders Fellowship, University of York, England