Three decades ago, a small six-year-old dreamed of the future. Dreamed of going to school. Dreamed of an education.

But this ambitious six-year-old was a girl. And being a female was enough reason to shatter those wishes. The little girl watched her dreams ebb away as her brothers were sent to school while she was kept at home to help her mother. All because she was born a female.

This little girl was my best friend, Iffy. Growing up we were inseparable. We played together, we ran together, we danced together. Then came the day when we were separated. When my own parents realised that if I stayed in Nigeria, my own future could be in doubt. So they sent me to London (where I was actually born) to get the education that Iffy and I both dreamed about. I was the fortunate one because that education altered my life. It was the education that Iffy was denied.