Yemi Obafemi
The Media, Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria and the Gift Lupus Foundation have partnered to boost lupus awareness, promote early diagnosis, and improve reproductive health education in Nigeria.
The partnership was announced in Abuja on May 5, 2026, as part of activities marking World Lupus Month.
Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, disproportionately affects women of reproductive age, with studies showing that nine out of ten lupus patients globally are women between 15 and 44 years old. In Nigeria, awareness of the disease remains low, leaving many women undiagnosed while symptoms are often mistaken for malaria, stress, arthritis, or other common illnesses.
Under the agreement, both organisations will collaborate on community awareness and education, early testing advocacy, and health worker capacity building.
Using MHR’s Love Matters Naija platform, which reaches over 800,000 young Nigerians, alongside the Gift Lupus Foundation’s patient and caregiver networks, the partnership aims to deliver accurate and stigma free lupus education across the country.
The organisations also plan to launch campaigns encouraging Nigerians, particularly women of reproductive age, to seek early medical evaluation when symptoms appear. Frontline health workers, caregivers, and the general public will also be targeted with information to improve early recognition and response.
In addition, the partnership will develop and disseminate resources for community health extension workers, nurses, and primary healthcare physicians to improve lupus recognition and referral at the first point of contact.
Speaking on the partnership, MHR said the collaboration aligns with its mission to promote women’s health and rights.
“MHR has always believed that the health of young Nigerian women cannot be siloed. Lupus does not exist separately from a woman’s reproductive health, her mental health, her relationships, or her rights,” the organisation stated.
It added, “This partnership with the Gift Lupus Foundation is a natural extension of our mission because a woman who does not know she has lupus cannot make informed decisions about her body, her fertility, or her future.”
Founder of the Gift Lupus Foundation, Dr. Lovette Ikongu Ononuga, said Nigerians need better education about lupus to reduce stigma, encourage early diagnosis, and help caregivers better support affected persons.
According to the organisations, lupus affects an estimated five million people worldwide and significantly impacts fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and maternal health.
They noted that delayed diagnosis by five years or more is common in Nigeria due to low awareness among the public and healthcare workers.
The groups urged Nigerian women to recognise lupus symptoms and seek medical evaluation early, while calling on caregivers to take persistent unexplained symptoms seriously and advocate for proper testing.
They also appealed to health workers to include lupus in differential diagnosis, especially for women presenting with multi system symptoms, and called on donors and development partners to support efforts aimed at expanding awareness nationwide.
Common symptoms highlighted include unexplained fatigue, joint pain and swelling, butterfly shaped facial rash, sensitivity to sunlight, recurring fever, hair loss, chest pain, persistent mouth sores, and swelling around the eyes or legs.
The organisations advised Nigerians experiencing three or more persistent symptoms to seek medical attention and request lupus testing.
