Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has said women can break barriers and attain greater leadership positions when they support one another.
She made the remark on Tuesday while receiving the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), at her office in Abuja, where she congratulated the senior lawyer on her historic election and described her victory as an inspiration for women across the country.
According to a statement issued by the First Lady’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, Senator Tinubu said the achievement sends a strong message that women can attain leadership positions through dedication, excellence and collaboration.
“You should set the bar and make room for other women coming behind you. This victory means a lot for women in general,” the First Lady said.
She noted that women are increasingly occupying key positions within Nigeria’s justice sector, adding that the NBA President-elect’s emergence reflects the growing impact of female leadership.
“I just shared with my last guest that in the judiciary now, women are holding sway. The Chief Judge is a woman, the President of the Court of Appeal is a woman, and now you are the President-elect of the NBA. Women are achieving a lot,” she said.
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Senator Tinubu described the visit as memorable and prayed for a successful tenure for the incoming NBA president.
“This is a visit that would be remembered by my office for a long time to come. I can only pray for you and wish you a successful tenure,” she added.
The First Lady also commended Professor Foluke Dada-Lawanson, who had initially contested the NBA presidential election but later stepped down and mobilised support for Badejo-Okusanya. She described the gesture as a rare display of sportsmanship and solidarity among women.
Earlier, Badejo-Okusanya praised the First Lady for the humanitarian interventions of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), particularly its support for vulnerable Nigerians.
“Your work with the Renewed Hope Initiative, in addition to being the First Lady, looks like a full-time job. You have set an example for others to emulate. We thank you for all that you have been doing,” she said.
She also pledged the NBA’s readiness to partner with the First Lady and the Renewed Hope Initiative by providing pro bono legal services for vulnerable members of society where necessary.
Badejo-Okusanya explained that the visit was to share the joy of her election with the First Lady, describing the achievement as a milestone for women in the legal profession.
The senior advocate was elected on July 19, 2026, after securing 12,317 votes in the NBA’s electronic election, which ran for 24 hours from 7:35 a.m. on 19 July to 7:34 a.m. the following day. She defeated two other candidates to emerge as the association’s 33rd president.
Her victory makes her the first woman to be directly elected as NBA president and only the second female to lead the association since its establishment in 1933, ending a 34-year wait for another woman to occupy the office.
Also elected was Afam Okeke as General Secretary after polling 8,478 votes. The newly elected national officers will serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028.
