By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Newly elected Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN, says her emergence should inspire more women to pursue leadership positions, expressing the hope that her victory will encourage others to break barriers and aspire to the highest offices in the country.
Following her victory in Saturday’s election, she reflected on her historic emergence and the challenges confronting women in leadership and the controversy surrounding the NBA presidential poll.
Badejo-Okusanya said women remain visible across professions but their representation steadily declines at senior leadership levels despite their proven abilities and achievements.
“Females in professional settings are kind of like a triangle. At the bottom you find loads and loads of women, but as you rise higher, you find fewer and fewer,” she said while featuring in an interview on Channels TV on Sunday, monitored by Persecondnews.
She attributed the disparity to structural and societal barriers rather than a lack of competence among women seeking leadership positions.
“Barely a fraction of them end up at the very top, not because they’re not capable, but because the environment is not quite friendly.”
Reflecting on her victory, the senior advocate described the outcome as a humbling experience and said the confidence reposed in her by thousands of lawyers comes with enormous responsibility.
“When you put yourself out there trying to convince colleagues that you have what it takes to lead, and then somehow you are able to achieve that, it’s a humbling experience,” she said.
On the controversy surrounding the election, Badejo-Okusanya acknowledged lingering concerns over confidence in the association’s electoral process, saying rebuilding trust should remain a priority.
“We have had a trust deficit in the association with regards to our elections. Perception is reality.”
She maintained that the intense scrutiny the election received reinforced its credibility and said she was prepared to subject her victory to further scrutiny if necessary.
“If need be, I will subject myself to a post-election audit because I have no desire for my win to be delegitimized in any way.”
Badejo-Okusanya said the association should use the lessons from the election to strengthen confidence in future polls through broader consultations among members.
She stated: “I think what we need to do is come together and have an honest conversation about how we want to conduct our elections in a way that engenders the most confidence for the most people.”
Persecondnews recalls that Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 valid votes cast, to defeat her closest challengers in the poll.
She succeeds current President Afam Osigwe (SAN) as the 33rd President of NBA, making history as the second woman to lead the association.
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