Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has congratulated Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, on her historic election as the first woman to be directly elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), while urging women across the country to support and uplift one another in leadership and professional pursuits.
Mrs Tinubu gave the charge when she received the NBA President-elect at the State House in Abuja, where she commended Badejo-Okusanya’s landmark achievement, describing it as an inspiration to women and girls aspiring to leadership positions.
The First Lady noted that the legal practitioner’s emergence reflects the growing recognition of women’s competence and contributions to national development, stressing that greater progress would be achieved when women deliberately create opportunities for one another.
She encouraged Nigerian women to remain united, mentor younger generations and continue breaking barriers across various sectors, saying collective support is essential to expanding female representation in leadership.
Responding, Badejo-Okusanya expressed appreciation for the First Lady’s support and pledged to justify the confidence reposed in her by members of the legal profession. She reaffirmed her commitment to promoting the rule of law, strengthening the Nigerian Bar Association and advancing reforms that will benefit both lawyers and the justice sector.
Badejo-Okusanya was elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, becoming the first woman to be directly elected to the office and the second woman to lead the association after the late Dame Priscilla Kuye, who assumed the presidency through constitutional succession in 1991. She secured 12,317 votes (47.18 per cent) to defeat her closest rivals, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, in the association’s 2026 national election.
Since her election, Badejo-Okusanya has received congratulatory messages from President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Women Affairs and several stakeholders in the legal profession, who have described her emergence as a significant milestone for gender inclusion and a new chapter in the history of the NBA.
Her election is widely seen as a landmark moment for Nigeria’s legal community, with many observers expressing optimism that her tenure will strengthen the association’s role in promoting justice, judicial reforms and the rule of law.
