‘NBA elections have become unduly politicized, monetized’

Weekly Trust: Looking back, how will you describe your growing up?Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN): I had a fairly usual growing up. I was born in the UK at a time myfather was studying law. As a result, I grew up in a studiousenvironment and I was exposed to reading books at a very early age. […]

Weekly Trust: Looking back, how will you describe your growing up?
Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN): I had a fairly usual growing up. I was born in the UK at a time myfather was studying law. As a result, I grew up in a studiousenvironment and I was exposed to reading books at a very early age. Ireturned to Nigeria when my father completed his law education andcommenced my secondary school education at Our Lady of ApostlesSecondary School Lagos, and did my A levels at St Anne’s SchoolIbadan. I did the usual things that young people do while growing up:partying, studying and generally causing trouble. Today, I am in fulltime law practice. In addition, I am a wife, a mother of two adultsons, and a grandmother of one granddaughter.
WT: Marriage and career have always pitched many womenagainst their families; how have you been able to manage this overtime?
Mrs. Adekoya: I have been extremely lucky in that I married a man who never for aminute saw my career as ‘competition’ with his (He was in the militaryand retired as a two-star general).  He is an only son with four sisters,and because his father died when he was very young, he values the factthat women must be entrepreneurial and financially independent. Whilethe children were young, they would stop off at my mother in-law’s asshe lived only two streets away, and I picked them there every dayafter work, or the house-help would bring them home.
WT: How political is Mrs. Adekoya?
Mrs. Adekoya: We are all political in some form or the other. I am very interestedin and I have my views as to how our country should be run. Somethings I am happy with, some I am not. I am happy that our governmentdid not succumb to western pressure and that the anti-gay bill waspassed into law. Such acts and behaviour are foreign to our culture andshould not be permitted. I am not happy with the government’s response tothe deaths of our young boys at Buni Yadi, the deaths of Immigrationjob seekers in February and the response to the abduction of the Chibok girls.  I used to be a member of the proposed LiberalConvention but lost interest when it was not registered under the Babangida regime. As a result, I am not a card carrying member of anyof the political parties.
WT: Is your interest in politics responsible for your decision to vie forthe NBA president’s seat?
Mrs. Adekoya: Yes it is, because I believe we can and should do things differently;we should do what needs to be done to raise standards within the legalprofession and we should provide guidance and voter education to the rest of the country in the run up to the general elections next year. This we have failed to do so far.
WT: And this interest having nothing to do with the fact as a woman, youdeem it necessary to prove a point to the male folk?
Mrs. Adekoya: My interest is not because I am a woman; in fact the legal profession is so conservative that it still refuses to recognize gender. We continue to kid ourselves that there are no ladies atthe Bar! My interest is because I believe I have the vision that theB bar needs at this time.
WT: How would you respond to the assertion by some people that NBA is notripe for a female president?
Mrs. Adekoya: What I can tell you is that such assertions are not borne out by factsand current trends. If the Commonwealth Lawyers Association – of whichNigerian lawyers are a substantial part – can elect a Nigerian womanas President and she distinguished herself, I cannot see the point inthat assertion. In fact, there is no better time than now to elect afemale NBA President to replicate at the Bar the giant strides done bythe first female Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Bench. If we are allagreed that things have to be done differently, then I can tell youwithout equivocation that the time to elect the first female NBAPresident is now! It’s an idea whose time has come! The best man forthe job is a woman. That’s the refrain I hear everywhere I go.
WT: Don’t you think you are too “international” for the Nigerian Bar Association?
Mrs. Adekoya: No. Rather, I think all lawyers must embrace an ‘international’ outlook as the world has become a global village. I believe that the experiences I have gained at the international level – especially at the International Bar Association (IBA) – will be useful to the developmental agenda of my own Bar association. We must as a professional body think globally and act locally. That is the only way we can raise our standards, be of good standing in the comity of our professional colleagues, and be just as relevant on issues affecting us and our nation internationally and at the domestic level.
WT: Having contested before and lost, why are you running again?
 Mrs. Adekoya: Some of the issues I raised in 2006 have not been resolved till date. I said then – as I say now – that towards its members the Association has both a representative and a regulatory role to play.  The Association is regulating its members through the collection of practising fees and disciplinary procedures, but has still not fulfilled its representative role of providing membership benefits or even improving on and protecting the livelihood of the average lawyer. The Association must be relevant to its members. If it fails to do so, if we as an Association do not project that relevance, then the Association is certain to become increasingly irrelevant to our professional well-being or even the nation at large.
WT: Do you think you have all it takes to withstand the intrigues involvedto secure victory in this election?
Mrs. Adekoya: I am not a stranger to matters of leadership of the Nigerian BarAssociation. Irrespective of the different power blocs and shades ofopinion within the Bar, victory at the polls rests wholly on the votescast for a candidate. I believe strongly that the agenda set out in mymanifesto is what the Bar needs at this time. I have the leadershipexperience, exposure, candour, and above all, competence to deliver onthe pledges and commitments made in my manifesto. I am aware that themajority of the delegates and members are tired of ‘business as usual’and there is a conscious effort by them to make the Bar better. ManyNBA members have called me to pledge their support; many keep callingto urge me on. The election is the opportunity to vote as ourconscience directs us, and I believe delegates will individually andcorporately live up to their commitment to join me in  raising theBar!
WT: What will you say are the challenges so far encountered in the causeof pursuing your aspiration?
Mrs. Adekoya: The challenges are that the cankerworm eating into our society hasentered into the Bar Association. Our elections have become unduly politicized as well as monetized. The sense of ‘anointment’ and’favoured candidacy’ is another challenge, which thankfully our membersare starting to see through.
WT: What is your position about the agitation for the South West NBA to have a common position on who to present for the presidential seat?
Mrs. Adekoya: We are contesting to be president of a national body, so it stands toreason that the voters should have a choice. While a common position by the SW NBA is of advantage to whoever is so selected, it does deprive the rest of the country of their freedom to choose.
WT: With networking and all sorts of politicking that have gone into your campaign; how will you describe your chances?
Mrs. Adekoya: I believe my chances are very bright, if one considers the issues Ihave raised and my proposed solutions. I am told all the othercandidates say I am their second choice.
WT: If eventually you win, what are the critical areas in NBA that youradministration will be paying attention to?
Mrs Adekoya: Institutional development, human resource development, and raising theprofile of the Bar. They are detailed in my manifesto.
WT: What will be your message to fellow lawyers as the election day approaches?
Mrs. Adekoya: I urge them to read our manifestos carefully and vote for thecandidate who best represents their views as to the type ofleadership  our Bar needs at this time. I hope they will chooseme.