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NBA President YC Maikyau Honors International Women’s Day with Heartfelt Tribute: Happy Mother’s Day from the NBA!

International Women’s Day, observed on March 8th every year, stands as a global celebration of women’s achievements, progress, and contributions to society. It serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the need to advocate for women’s rights and empowerment. This day holds immense significance in recognizing the resilience, leadership, and impact of women across various spheres of life, including the legal profession. It highlights the importance of promoting diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for women, ultimately fostering a more just and equitable society for all.

Published

2 months ago

March 8, 2024

Stella Charles Akupue

NBA President YC Maikyau Honors International Women's Day

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is delighted to join the rest of the global community to
celebrate our women on this year’s International Women’s Day. 8 March every year is set
aside to celebrate our women and their outstanding achievements and contributions to
society. As an association, the largest and most influential Bar on the continent of Africa, we
are happy to celebrate all the female members of the legal profession.

We are proud of the trail-blazing achievements and the value-added contributions of our
ladies, both at the Bar and on the Bench, to the administration of justice in Nigeria and the
world. We consider it worthy to celebrate the landmark accomplishments the Women
of the Bar have continued to record since the enrolment of Mrs. Stella Jane Marke [nee
Thomas] on 16, 1935, as the first Nigerian female lawyer. Notably, 89 years after that milestone enrolment, the number of women at the Bar has increased exponentially.

In this wise, I must acknowledge and celebrate, especially the female trailblazers in the legal
profession, who shattered glass ceilings to reach for the stars and thus paved the way for
other women to follow. They include Mrs Victoria Ayodele Onejeme – the first female
Attorney General in Nigeria; Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke, OON, CON, SAN – first female
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (Matriarch of the legal profession worldwide); Prof Jadesola
Debo-Akande – the first female Professor of Law; Justice Modupe Omo Eboh – the first female
the judge in Nigeria, Justice Modupe Omo Eboh (1976); Mrs Hairat Balogun, OON – first female
Attorney General of Lagos State; Mrs. Pricilla Kuye – first female president of the Nigerian
Bar Association; Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, GCON – first female Justice of the
Supreme Court and first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.

I must not fail to recognise and celebrate the generation after the above-mentioned,
represented by the likes of Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC, Hon Justice Monica
Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, PCA; Mrs Funke Adekoya, SAN; Iyom Anayo Justina Offiah,
SAN; Miannaya Essien, SAN; F. Boma Alabi, SAN; Folashade Alli, SAN; to mention just a
few, who have, in recent times, been a source of inspiration to the younger generation of female
lawyers, providing shoulders to stand to reach for the stars.

Only yesterday (7/3/2024), I had the privilege to celebrate and receive into the Nigerian Bar,
the Overall Best Student of the Year from the Nigerian Law School (NLS) for this year,
Lawal Aminat Odunayo, a young woman.

Aminat emerged as the most promising Student of the Year and the Best Female Student in Civil Litigation. Historically, the latter award was instituted by another Amazon at the Bar and on the Bench, His Lordship Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Muktar, GCON, the first female Justice of the Supreme Court and the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria. It is worth noting that of the 251 students now,

Of our colleagues who made First Class at the NLS this year, more than 70 per cent were
females. Some Nigerian women have thrilled the world with their brilliance and excellence
outside the field of law include Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Magaret Ekpo, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, GCON (Director General, World Trade Organisation); Amina J. Mohammed (Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations); Dora Akunyili (of blessed memory); Folorunsho Alakija; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu (Founder, MEDICAID Foundation; Board Member, Union for International Cancer Control); Eugenia Abu (a Broadcast Journalist/Media Consultant); Aisha Ali-Gombe (US-based Professor of Computer Science and Cybersecurity expert) – women who stood in defiance of the age-long false The belief was that women had limited capability.

The theme of this year’s celebration, Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress, is
instructive. The Nigerian Bar Association, as the umbrella organisation of legal practitioners
called to the Nigerian Bar, is committed to a gender-equal world, a world free of bias,
stereotypes, and discrimination.

The NBA is making conscious efforts to ensure that our female colleagues are given platforms to showcase their capabilities and, by so doing, encourage Nigerians on the imperative to make deliberate investments in the womenfolk.

An all-female executive would lead the Conference Planning Committee for the first time in the NBA Annual General Conference’s 64-year history. I must note that this is not an act of tokenism. It is a demonstration of our commitment to inclusivity and a recognition of the great talents and excellence that our female colleagues represent.

The Nigerian Bar Association is also proud to note that for the first time in our recent history,
the Supreme Court of Nigeria has a record six female Justices. Surely, the door opened by the
Honourable Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, GCON, was kept open. This is a positive
development for the legal profession and our country as a whole.

I look forward to the day when we will have more females at all levels of our justice system.
I congratulate all our female colleagues as we mark this year’s International Women’s Day.
Together, we can drive inclusion and take action for increased and better investment in
women for accelerated progress in our national life. Wishing you all a Happy International Women’s Day.

Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON, SAN

NBA President.

READ THE FULL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT.

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