Barely weeks after making history as the first woman to be directly elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, on Tuesday took one of her first official steps as President-Elect, leading a delegation of distinguished women lawyers on a courtesy visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
The visit brought together prominent figures from Nigeria’s legal profession and academia, reflecting the growing influence of women in the administration of justice and legal leadership.
Accompanying the NBA President-Elect were the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Caleb University, Professor Foluke Dada-Lawanson; Global President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA International), Mrs. Ezinwa Okoroafor; Federal Capital Territory Lead of the NBA Women Forum, Princess Hadiza Afegbua; Coordinator of the African Women Lawyers Association ( AWLA Nigeria), Abuja Branch, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Aladegbami; and Mrs. Ramlat Ridhwan, Publicity Lead of the BBold Campaign Team.
Although details of the discussions were not made public, the meeting comes at a significant moment for the legal profession as the incoming NBA leadership prepares to assume office amid continuing national conversations on judicial independence, constitutional governance, justice sector reforms and the rule of law.
Badejo-Okusanya’s election marked a defining moment in the Association’s 92-year history. While Chief Mrs. Priscilla Kuye became the NBA’s first female president after succeeding to the office in 1991 following the appointment of her predecessor as Attorney-General of the Federation, Badejo-Okusanya is the first woman to secure the Association’s highest office through a direct vote of its members.
Her emergence has been widely celebrated by legal practitioners, civil society organisations and women’s groups as an important milestone for gender inclusion within the legal profession and a demonstration of the growing acceptance of women in positions of institutional leadership.
Tuesday’s audience with President Tinubu also highlighted the increasing prominence of women at the highest levels of Nigeria’s legal community. The delegation represented leading organisations committed to advancing legal education, promoting women’s participation in the profession and strengthening access to justice both within Nigeria and internationally.
The meeting comes as expectations continue to build ahead of Badejo-Okusanya’s inauguration as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, with many lawyers looking to the incoming administration to address issues relating to electoral reforms within the Association, the independence of the judiciary, legal education, welfare of lawyers and broader justice sector reforms.
For many observers, the visit symbolised more than a routine courtesy call. It reflected the beginning of official engagement between the incoming leadership of Nigeria’s foremost professional legal body and the Presidency, at a time when the role of the Bar in defending constitutional democracy and the rule of law remains central to national discourse.
