“History rarely shifts on its own; it changes when institutions stop treating female leadership as a rare miracle and start treating it as an absolute necessity. Today’s swearing-in of Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya as the 33rd NBA President isn’t just a personal victory—it is an overdue reckoning for Africa’s largest Bar.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION
Sometime in March, around the commemoration of the International Women’s Day, I published an article where I interrogated the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the past 32 years, producing only one woman on the wall of past presidents and I made a call that for a change the NBA should put its weight behind a female to emerge as its President. I stated in that piece that the way we could honour a very distinguished woman like Dame Priscilla Kuye while she’s here with us, is to show her that many can follow in her steps. I concluded in that write up that the NBA is replete with qualified, capable and visionary women ready to serve.
It is my pleasure to announce that today the 28th day of August 2026, the NBA swore in to office a qualified, capable, exquisite and elegant female President. This victory will be remembered as the beginning of greater opportunities for women who aim for this exalted seat of the profession.
I join others to congratulate Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, the 33rd President of NBA. I also congratulate every member of the new Nationals Executive. They are indeed fine gentlemen and ladies that I have had the opportunity to interact or work with at one point or the other. I am in no doubt that these are added advantages to Mrs B’s leadership and I look forward to a 2 years of exceptional leadership.
Mojirayo Ogunlana
Digital, Gender and Media Rights Advocate
