By Lillian Okenwa
On 14th May 2023 in the presence of 1200 female judges from all over the world, at Marrakesh, Morocco, Hon. Justice Binta Fatima Nyako received a unique birthday package with her inauguration, as the President, International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). Justice Nyako who has been a judge of Nigeria’s Federal High Court for 23 years was elected unopposed. Her tenure will run from 2023 to 2025.
Born on May 14, 1959, in Remawa Local Government, Katsina State, Binta Nyako, is the first indigenous female from Katsina to study law. Her first choice was anthropology. Not because she knew what it implied; she was fascinated by the sound of the name. Law was the second choice and that was what Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria opted to offer her.
But in the family, they thought she was a natural lawyer. The story is told of when as a little girl an uncle who was serving tea to all the little children in the morning forgot to put milk in her tea. “I didn’t know how to tell him that he forgot to put milk in my own tea so I announced that hmmm my tea is the sweetest. My uncle turned, looked at me, and said, ‘How come your tea is the sweetest?’ And I answered, ‘Because you forgot to put milk in my tea.’ He now said, ‘This one is a lawyer.’ Rather than get upset, I used my head and ended up with more milk than everyone.”
In her inaugural address, Justice Nyako who is the first Muslim IAWJ President promised to get other countries to join the association. She told Law & Society Magazine how she plans to do it.
“A lot of countries have reservations about what we’re all about so we’re trying to let them know we’re not political; that we don’t have any religious backing or ideology we’re trying to push. We are just trying to bring together women of like minds to learn from one another. A lot of countries in Asia particularly India and other neigbouring countries have individual members but that is different from chapters. We want to invite as many countries as possible to join and form chapters so they can be represented as a country. Before we left Marrakesh, I was approached by representatives of two countries to enlighten them on how to go about setting up chapters in their countries.
“You will be surprised to learn that when panelists were telling their stories in one of the sessions I chaired at the conference, you’ll think they are talking about Nigerian issues. Everyone has the same problem even if you have a different way of presenting it. So, if you have an opportunity to interact and also learn, you go for it. We have countries in the Arab Muslim world including the UAE and African countries in the MENA region that are predominantly like Arabs. They don’t understand what the association is all about. The last but one president who is from the United States, was the image maker. The last is from New Zealand. I’m from Nigeria. And I’m coming in as the first Muslim president of the association so they can now appreciate that there’s nothing to it. We hope to use that kind of sentiment to win them over.”
The IAWJ was founded in 1991 by Arline Pacht an American jurist in her basement. Hon. Justice Roseline Ukeje, the first female Chief Judge of the Federal High Court was a founding member. Within that inception stage, Hon. Justice Constance Momoh, a former Chief Judge of Edo State, and then the Hon. Justice Alooma Maryam Mukhtar, the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria became part of the founding members. Judge Pacht envisaged forming an association of dynamic women to help mentor women judges, the girl child, and more.
Information obtained from the IAWJ website indicates that the association is essentially geared towards promoting and empowering “women judges who can help uproot gender bias, end discriminatory laws, advance gender-responsive courts, and promote human rights for all.”
Speaking further with Law & Society, Nyako recounts her journey to the world stage and becoming the head of this prestigious association that brings together women judges from all levels of the judiciary worldwide.
“At some point, I became the International Director for the Nigerian chapter, (National Association of Women Judges, Nigeria (NAWJN)). Justice Rosaline Bozimo was National Chair at the time and I was on the board as International Director meaning I’m the liaison between the local and the international chapters. Then there was a vacancy at the international level for African Regional Director. Every region in the world has two reps. We use the same UN system that divides the world into five regions. The Africa regional group elected me as one of the two to represent Africa.
“It was a term of two years. When it was time for the second term at the conference which was held in Arusha, Tanzania, I was not on the Nigerian delegation but the African regional contingent elected me in absentia for a second term making it four years on the international board. Afterward, I was elected again to be the board’s first Vice President. I did two terms. and I was unopposed in all these. Subsequently, I became president-elect in 2021. What happens is that we elect our president two years ahead. I was not interested in any position having just come out of covid and isolation but nobody vied for the position.
“When I got in touch with the board asking why nobody has indicated an interest in the opening, they said Binta we’re expecting you to take over. You have been one of the longest-serving members of the board. You know all the workings and programmes we have implemented so you’re the most natural person to take over. At the last conference at Marrakesh on 14th May, I automatically took over as president.
“After being Regional Director, I got to know a lot of women judges from around the world. One of the conditions for being an international officer is to attend all the board meetings and international conferences. I have attended many of these in so many countries. In the Nigerian Chapter, we have eight elective positions. What we did to have an even representation of the county in the Nigerian chapter is split the position between North and South. Four positions to the north and four to the south. The following election they switched. When we went to South Korea for one of our conferences, we had many Courts of Appeal and Supreme Court Justices in attendance. On our way back to the hotel, Justices Clara Ogunbiyi, Bozimo, and Zainab Bulkachuwa who were in that bus commented on how I interacted with the international delegates.
“They then suggested that since an election is coming up in Nigeria, I take up the presidency so as to refocus the Nigeria chapter towards the international forum. I objected but they insisted and when it was time for the local chapter conference and election I was elected as president. I ended up serving for three years instead of the normal two. It turned out that during my tenure, I made so much contact with other African countries. Also, a regional conference was going to hold and all the African judges seemed to wager for it to hold in Nigeria. On account of this it was suggested that since I have interacted more with these judges, I should be the one to host the conference. My tenure was going to expire before the conference so it was extended for me to host it. Instead of serving from 2010 to 2012, I served till 2013. And although it was an Africa regional conference we had representatives from the US, Argentina, India, and others. It was held in Abuja. It was very successful.”
Congratulations to Hon.Justice Binta Nyako, the new president of the International Association of Women Judges.
PS. Her speech is about five after the dancing. Forward to about 5 minutes into the video:
https://youtu.be/GS27DgHA138
