A MISSION TO INSPIRE AND BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN LEADERS

Protocols

“Whatever you give to a woman, she will receive it, multiply it and give it back to you” Dr. Myles Munroe

1. There is a new awakening to the unique capacity of women to offer quality leadership within institutions, taking bold initiatives in pursuit of outcomes that set new benchmarks of excellence, innovation and value creation. It is not for nothing that we are seeing an exponential rise in the number of women occupying very senior positions in public and corporate establishments in Nigeria and across the world. It is no longer an exaggeration to say that when trained and offered a level-playing field, our women and girls are as capable of outstanding performance in all fields of human endeavours as their male counterparts.

2. On account of the exceptional performance of women in positions of leadership, a new hunger has emerged amongst parents and institutions to train and expand the capacity of our women in order to make them competitive and ready for higher responsibilities. We are currently seeing an exponential rise in the number of women pursuing advanced degrees, empowering themselves through training and exposure to new learning opportunities and actually doing better than men in some areas.

3. Supporting women to achieve their full potential is a rational economic decision, but most importantly, it is a fool-proof formula for improving societal realities on very important frontiers including sciences, medicine, finance, sports and as everyone here can readily testify, law. It is now beyond dispute that the enduring prosperity of any society in the modern world is extensively dependent on the scope of opportunities offered women to dream, work hard and become the best they can be.

4. On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, learned men and women, let me formally welcome the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat M. O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON, and her entourage to the South East Zonal Workshop of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria (NAWJN) taking place here in our beloved State capital Umuahia. I want to thank the organisers of this event for choosing Umuahia as the host city for this very important workshop in the South East region. Let me use this opportunity to congratulate Justice Kekere-Ekun on her appointment as the second female CJN two months ago. I may not be familiar with the criteria that informed the choice of Umuahia but I am very certain that there could not have been a better place to host an event of this significance. For starters, it will be tough to find any other state in the region where there are as many women in critical positions of public sector service as we have in Abia.

5. As the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Lilian Abai, can tell you, we are very deliberate in empowering and assigning important portfolios to women. Because we understand how reform-minded and efficient women can be, especially with very lean resources, our administration’s bold initiatives for the tertiary education sector, health, Civil service, Poverty Alleviation and financial management are being driven by competent and result-oriented women. Here in Abia, we are not just appointing and empowering women for optics, we are running on the conviction that women are less prone to procedural abuses and managerial recklessness and are therefore better suited to achieve the governance outcomes that we seek across multiple strategic frontiers.

6. You have done the right thing by coming to Abia where women are pivotal to the developmental vision of the administration. Our philosophy of recognising women as major governance stakeholders leans into the awareness that Abia is historically, the home of brave and productive women who will never accept to be inferior in the scheme of things. It may be important to remind us that this is the place of the famous Aba Women Uprising of 1929 where our mothers from various parts of the region converged in Aba to resist the designs of the colonial authorities that they found unfriendly to their economic and social prosperity. With the events of 1929 etched firmly in the minds of many, anyone who finds himself in position of authority is always careful not to attract the ire of our women in their policy choices.

7. Beyond the capacity of our women to resist situations that are skewed against them, Abia women have also achieved the distinction of being very committed and resourceful in their assignments in the home and elsewhere. Our women are remarkable for the immense sacrifices they make for their families and society because they see beyond their personal needs. They are often happiest when they are offering helping hands, not minding whether they are dealing with familiar faces or total strangers. From the famous Ariaria International Market to several formal establishments in our urban centres and in the interior farmlands in remote communities, women who live in Abia State consistently work hard to achieve remarkable things and support the ones they love because for them, success is not defined by gender.

8. The theme of this workshop, “Breaking Leadership Barriers for Women in the Legal Profession,” invites us to come together and shatter the glass ceilings that limit the ascendency of women in leadership positions in the legal profession in our country. This project could not have come at a better time because presently, we have a very distinguished woman in the person of Hon. Justice Kekere-Ekun, GCON, occupying the exalted position of Chief Justice of Nigeria. I can make bold to say that we have a golden opportunity to look into the entire architecture of the legal system in the country and identify policies, practices and conventions that even when well-intended, can become very strong obstacles to the rise of women in the profession. My expectation is that at the end of this workshop, we must have identified clear-cut measures that will make it easier for highly qualified women in the system to progressively climb and ultimately reach the zenith of their careers like the CJN, and our own chief judge here in the State, as well as other senior officials from different parts of the country that are presently seated in this auditorium.

9. In the pursuit of our noble objective which seeks to offer a level-playing field for women in the legal system, it may be important to remind us that our guiding criteria at all times should be competence. We must never sacrifice the capacity to understand and interpret the letters and the spirit of the law for anything. With your permission, I would like to add that sound mental disposition and robust knowledge of the evolution and emerging dynamics of legal practices across the globe must take precedence over filial relationships. The leadership positions in the legal system must be protected from the corrosion of politics because justice, excellence and long-standing ethics of the profession will be compromised when leadership positions in the legal system become objects of privileges that the political elites dispense at will to whomsoever they wish. My recommendation would be to evolve ways of building the capacity of women in the profession to enable them stand out in the industry, staying beyond reproach in the discharge of their duties.

10. We shall not get everything right in one day but we must start the process of building a legal system that inspires women, especially the young ones to dream. It is gratifying to observe that these nationwide workshops present fantastic opportunities to share ideas and listen to each other, hear the experiences of the professionals in the industry and identify what can be done in the medium to long term to bring more women to the decision-making table. I am of the considered opinion that much of the problems we are battling with in the system will drastically reduce if we have more women calling the shots because although women are known for being compassionate, they also have immense willpower to take decisions that many men would dare not contemplate. They are also less-brazen and more meticulous, staying faithful to the truth of the constitution and the ethics of the profession in their assignments.

11. As a State, we are very willing to support the actualisation of the aims of this project. My position is that the world will be better when women are supported, empowered and given the platform to do exploits. We shall be open to working with whoever is available and ready to lead this campaign here in the State. May I please invite the coordinators to remain focused and consistent in driving this project across all parts of the country. I will be fulfilled to see more women joining the distinguished CJN and Hon Justice Abai at the summit of the legal profession. My expectation is that these amazons will inspire more women and girls to demand more from themselves and appreciate that every girl has all it takes to break new grounds and conquer bigger territories in their chosen fields of practice.

12. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, permit me to now formally declare this workshop put together by the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria for the South East region open to the glory of God. Thank you for coming and may God bless you all.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,
25/10/2-24