NBA: We’ll build a bolder Bar that speaks truth to power — Badejo-Okusanya, SAN

History was made on August 28, as Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, was sworn in as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, becoming the first woman elected to the position.

She is the second woman to occupy the NBA’s presidential seat since the association’s formation in 1933.
Dame Priscilla Kuye was the first woman to lead the legal body, serving from 1991 to 1992.

She emerged through succession after the then-NBA President, Chief Clement Akpamgbo, SAN, was appointed Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, by General Ibrahim Babangida’s military regime.

Her emergence followed a chain of events in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and an alleged state-sponsored internal crisis that almost resulted in the proscription of the NBA by the then military government.

Remarkably, thirty-five years later and in that same city, history repeated itself: the reins of leadership returned to a woman, at a time when the association is mired in controversy over the integrity of its electoral process.

Badejo-Okusanya, whose inauguration drew the curtain on the 2026 Annual General Conference of the association, themed: ‘Beyond Limits’, immediately pressed down on the ‘throttle’ with a bold mission statement, charting a roadmap to tackle some of the problems plaguing the association.

Acknowledging that the mandate handed to her is not a prize to be possessed, but a trust to be discharged, she pledged her administration’s determination to build a ‘Bolder Bar’ that speaks truth to power.

At the heart of her inaugural address was a firm declaration of what she believes the Bar must be for the nation: independent, disciplined enough to speak with credibility, and courageous enough to act whenever fundamental rights, judicial independence and the rule of law are threatened.

Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, was explicit that the NBA’s internal reforms would focus on improved remuneration and welfare packages for lawyers, a reappraisal of the electoral system, and modernisation of the association’s operations through effective use of technology.

She said: “My prayer is that this moment will be recorded in the annals of our Association not merely as a watershed, but as a catalyst for lasting change.

“It has taken thirty-five years. But history is not made merely when a barrier falls. History is made when those who pass through the opening widen it for others.

“I, therefore, accept this honour not as a trophy for one woman, but as a door held open for every person whose competence may once have been overlooked, whose voice may have been dismissed, or whose aspiration may have seemed too bold.

“I am now the second woman to hold this office. By the grace of God and by the choices we make together, I will not be the last—and it will not take another thirty-five years.

“But this presidency cannot be defined by gender alone. I did not seek this office simply to make history. I sought it to make a difference.

“Today, a new question confronts us: What must the NBA mean in the daily lives of Nigerian lawyers?
“It is not enough for the NBA to be respected in public if its members feel unsupported in private.

“It is not enough for us to issue strong statements on national affairs if the young lawyer cannot earn a dignified living; if the small-firm practitioner is overwhelmed by the cost of practice; if the law officer, in-house counsel, academic, lawyer with disability or colleague in a small branch feels invisible; or if any lawyer is harassed in the course of lawful professional duty and has nowhere effective to turn.

“The strength of the Bar must be felt not only in the corridors of power, but in the chambers, courtrooms, offices and homes of our members.

“That is the mandate of this administration: Members First. Always. We will build a bolder Bar that works for everyone—a Bar that helps its members earn better, live better and practise better; a Bar that moves lawyers from surviving to thriving.

“This is more than a slogan. It is the standard by which you must judge us. A lawyer who is economically vulnerable is not truly professionally free.

“We will pursue a realistic and sustained framework for fair remuneration. We will support lawyers with practical tools for pricing, business development, technology adoption, specialisation and access to emerging areas of practice.

“We will strengthen pathways to jobs, mentorship and opportunity. We will work with branches, institutions and partners to reduce the cost of legal practice and expand access to finance, knowledge and markets.

“We will not pretend that the NBA can command prosperity into existence. But we can remove obstacles. We can create opportunities.

“No lawyer will be invisible, and no voice will be dismissed. We will modernise the National Secretariat into a responsive service institution. Technology must simplify membership, not frustrate it.

“Payments, stamps, enquiries, continuing professional development and access to benefits must become easier, faster and more transparent.

“We will set service standards, publish performance indicators and report to you regularly, because leadership is not a title. It is an obligation to deliver.

“First, we will open the doors of service. In the coming days, a portal will be made available through which members may offer themselves for service, indicate their areas of interest and submit their credentials.

“Appointments must draw from the breadth of talent within our Association and give meaningful expression to our commitment to inclusion.

“Second, we will use the collective strength of the Bar to reduce the cost of practice and improve the daily lives of our members.

“We are working towards highly subsidised access to electronic law reports and the reintroduction of an NBA Affinity Card, which will serve both as a payment card and as a gateway to negotiated discounts on essential goods and services.

“Third, we will prioritise economic and physical well-being. We will engage the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on strengthening awareness of and compliance with the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Order.

“We will also establish a committee to develop lawful and practical mechanisms for encouraging the payment of living wages to our most vulnerable members.

“Discussions are also on-going towards a strategic partnership with the African Medical Centre of Excellence, operating in clinical partnership with King’s College Hospital, London.

“If concluded, as anticipated, the partnership will provide our members with access to discounted comprehensive wellness screenings and support free medical outreach programmes across the country. A healthier Bar is a stronger Bar and a stronger Bar is a bolder Bar.

“Fourth, we will be transparent and accountable. Information about the departments and key personnel of the National Secretariat will be made accessible.

“Our digital channels and services will be reviewed. We will communicate periodically what the Association has, what we have spent, what we propose to spend and the purpose for which members’ resources are deployed. It is your money. You have a right to know.

“These are initial steps, not the full measure of our ambition. Our commitments will be translated into timelines, responsible teams and measurable outcomes.

“We will tell you what we have done, what remains undone and why. Where we succeed, the credit will belong to the Bar. Where we fall short, the responsibility will be mine.”

On the need to review NBA’s electoral process, she said: “I am conscious that the election, which brought us here, generated controversy and that technological difficulties prevented a number of eligible members from exercising their franchise.

“I do not accept the allegation that the outcome was manipulated or fraudulently predetermined. I worked hard, took my message to lawyers across the country and received the mandate that has brought me before you today.

“But confidence in an election is strengthened, not diminished, when legitimate concerns are examined openly.

“Our responsibility is not to trade accusations or remain imprisoned by the contest that has ended. It is to ensure that future NBA elections command even greater confidence among our members.

“I will, accordingly, establish an Electoral Reform Committee, chaired by Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, to undertake a comprehensive examination of our electoral architecture.

“The Committee will consult widely, receive memoranda and recommend the constitutional, institutional and technological reforms necessary to deliver elections that are transparent, accessible, secure, auditable and worthy of the Nigerian Bar Association.

“Universal suffrage has come to stay. Our task is to make it work better.

“Nigeria needs a Bar that is independent enough to speak truth to power, disciplined enough to speak with credibility and courageous enough to act when fundamental rights, judicial independence and the rule of law are threatened.

“Nigeria also needs a Bar that is a responsible partner in the progress of our nation—one that acknowledges progress where it is made, encourages more to be done and contributes practical solutions to our common challenges.

“We will support the Bench, while insisting on the integrity and efficiency of the justice system.

“We will defend judicial independence, but we will not be indifferent to delay, conflicting decisions, corruption or conduct that diminishes public confidence.

“Respect for institutions does not require silence about their shortcomings. True respect requires the courage to help them become better.

“We will engage governments constructively, but we will not be captured by any government, party, region, religion, interest or individual.

“Our loyalty is to the Constitution, to justice, to the rule of law and to the members whose mandate we hold in trust.

“We will collaborate where collaboration advances the public good. We will challenge where challenge becomes necessary. And, in both, we will act with facts, fairness, discipline and boldness.

“Our administration will consolidate what works, repair what does not and build what the future demands. We will not discard good ideas because they originated under another leader or another contestant.

“The NBA is larger than the presidency. Progress must be cumulative and sustained. The task before us is substantial. But so is our capacity,” she added.

While thanking her predecessor, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, for his service and achievements for the association, she extended a hand of fellowship to her co-contestants, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, and Mr. Lateef Akangbe, SAN, vowing to be president not only of those who voted for her, but of every member of the NBA.

Now that she has officially assumed office, all eyes are on Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, to match words with actions and ensure that the NBA — widely regarded as the largest body of lawyers in Africa — continues to live up to expectations, both for its members and the nation.