NBA presidency: Igbo lawyers, FIDA, jurists endorse Adekoya
It was a harvest of endorsements for leading Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential aspirant, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) as several jurists and associations have given her the green light to forge ahead with her quest to lead the lawyers’ body.
Leading the cream of endorsers was respected jurist and presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Amina Augie who spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Lagos.
Others who also spoke at the occasion threw their weight behind Justice Augie, saying Adekoya has sterling qualities to lead the Nigerian Bar to greater heights. They include the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola Akinterinwa; former Country Vice President of FIDA Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Tessa Egbe Ikimi, and renowned broadcaster-turned-publisher and women’s rights advocate, Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe.
Meanwhile, the umbrella Igbo Lawyers’ union, Otu Oka-Iwu has equally vowed to support Adekoya in her presidential bid. Speaking through its spokesman, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), the highly influential Otu Oka-Iwu said it would give Adekoya its “maximum possible support.”
Justice Augie said that ensuring the Adekoya is elected as the next NBA President should be a major project of FIDA and its members in the coming days, adding that Adekoya has the character to make positive impact on the association.
Mrs. Ikimi urged FIDA to change its slogan for the anniversary celebrations to “FIDA AT 50: FUNKE FOR PRESIDENT.” The former FIDA said there is no better time than now to elect a female NBA President, noting that it will lead to gender equity.
On his part, Akiterinwa said he had always known Adekoya as an outstanding lawyer with unimpeachable integrity. He said he had no doubt that the renowned arbitrator would make a good NBA President, adding that her keynote address has intellectual depth.
The director-general said the institute would publish gratis Adekoya’s keynote address titled “50 Years of Promoting Child and Women’s Rights” as a “birthday gift” to FIDA, urging it to “keep up the good work of being a voice for the voiceless.”
In her contributions, Mrs. Onyenokwe wondered why it has taken FIDA Nigeria so long to spearhead the election of a female president. She warned that the struggle had become imperative to enable the Nigerian Bar join the campaign against the subjugation of women.
On his part, Idigbe said that Adekoya is eminently qualified to be the next NBA President, adding that her 3-point Agenda deal with issues that are of concern to Nigerian lawyers. He spoke at the monthly meeting of the lawyers’ body when Adekoya visited to solicit support for her quest.
In her keynote address, Adekoya decried the abduction of the Chibok girls, adding that “There is no better metaphor for the dangers that women and children face than the Chibok abductions, a saga that threatens to revamp everything that we hold sacrosanct as a people.”
Noting that there could be a salutary feature in the Chibok saga, the leading lawyer said: “In all this however, a redeeming feature beckons on the horizon, namely our innate capacity to lend a helping hand to those in need. This passion to be our brother’s keeper was forcefully brought home to me in one of the marches for the Chibok girls of which I participated. Participation in the event cut across age, gender, ethnic and social class divisions.”
It is recalled that five aspirants are vying for the NBA presidency. Adekoya has promised to review the Annual General conference fees generally believed to be prohibitive and to re-admit observers to NBA NEC while ensuring universal suffrage in NBA Elections through electronic voting which she pioneered as Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), Nigerian Chapter.