For about 15 years, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, popularly known as “The Merchant of Hope,” has built a career in public service around policy, law, social welfare and social protection, with much of her work focused on protecting vulnerable people. As the pioneer Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), she leads a team of more than 100 professionals driving Lagos’ coordinated response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Her work combines survivor support, advocacy, prevention and public education, including through books she has authored on domestic violence, sexual violence, self-love and body safety. As Lagos joins the rest of the world in observing September as Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, her leadership at the DSVA is again bringing the need for greater awareness, prevention and collective action against abuse to the forefront. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
As Lagos marks the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month this September, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, has been increasingly centred on a bigger objective- ensuring that domestic and sexual violence in Lagos is no longer simply about receiving complaints, rescuing survivors or pursuing perpetrators, but about building a system strong enough to prevent violence, identify warning signs early, protect survivors, support their recovery and ensure that those responsible face justice.
