Obioma Chukwuike

Obioma Chukwuike is a Nigerian intersex and non-binary human rights activist and community organiser. They are the founder and executive director of Intersex Nigeria, the country's first organisation dedicated to advancing the rights, visibility, and wellbeing of intersex people. Chukwuike is known for advocating against non-consensual medical interventions, promoting bodily autonomy, and pushing for the inclusion of intersex persons in national health and policy frameworks.

Chukwuike graduated from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology with a bachelor's degree in Geography and Meteorology in 2013, and obtained a Master of Science in Environmental Technology from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

Chukwuike leads Intersex Nigeria, a national organisation that promotes awareness, community-building, policy advocacy, and access to healthcare for intersex people.

In 2023, they led Intersex Nigeria's participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Pre-Session, marking the first time intersex rights were formally addressed at that level by a Nigerian organisation.

Chukwuike has spoken extensively on the invisibility of intersex people in national sexual and reproductive health policies, legal and political exclusion, and the continued social marginalisation and non-consensual medical interventions of intersex children and adults in Nigeria.

Chukwuike argues that binary conceptions of sex have resulted in systemic discrimination, exclusion from healthcare systems, and violations of the bodily autonomy of intersex persons in Nigeria. They continue to call for:

• Inclusion of intersex people in national policy frameworks and health systems;
• The prohibition of non-consensual medical interventions on intersex infants and minors;
• Implementation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Resolution 552 on the protection of intersex persons.

Chukwuike identifies as an intersex and non-binary person, using the pronouns they/them. Their lived experience informs their advocacy, recognising that intersex persons in Nigeria face unique medical, social, and legal challenges, including stigma, secrecy, non-consensual surgical interventions, and lack of legal recognition.

• Intersex human rights

• LGBT rights in Nigeria

• Universal Periodic Review

• Official website – Intersex Nigeria