NBA presidency: Igbo lawyers, FIDA, jurists endorse Adekoya

Leading the endorsements was the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, Justice Amina Augie, who spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Lagos.She said that ensuring that Adekoya is elected as the next NBA president should be a major concern of FIDA and its members, […]

Leading the endorsements was the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, Justice Amina Augie, who spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Lagos.
She said that ensuring that Adekoya is elected as the next NBA president should be a major concern of FIDA and its members, adding that the foremost lawyer has the character to make positive impact on the association.
Others who also spoke at the occasion, throwing their weight behind Adekoya, included the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola Akinterinwa, former Country Vice President of FIDA Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Tessa Ikimi and renowned broadcaster-turned-publisher and women’s rights advocate, Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, who said she has the qualities to lead the Nigerian Bar to greater heights.
Akinterinwa said he had always known Adekoya as an outstanding lawyer with unimpeachable integrity. He said he had no doubt that she would make a good NBA president.
The NIIA boss said the institute would publish gratis Adekoya’s 13-page 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,” adding that the address has immense intellectual depth.
Similarly, FIDA’s Ikimi urged the federation to change its slogan for the anniversary celebrations to “FIDA AT 50: FUNKE FOR PRESIDENT.” The former FIDA country vice president said there is no better time than now to elect a female NBA President, noting that it would assuage concerns that merit is always sacrificed on the altar of gender inequality.
In her contribution, Mrs. Onyenokwe wondered why it took FIDA Nigeria so long to spearhead the election of a female president. She stressed that the struggle had become imperative to enable the Nigerian Bar to be rid of female subjugation and promote gender equity.
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 Otu Oka-Iwu said it would give Adekoya its “maximum possible support.”
He said that Adekoya is “eminently qualified” to lead the NBA, adding that her 3-point agenda deals with issues that are of deep concern to the average Nigerian lawyer. He spoke at the monthly meeting of the lawyers’ body when Adekoya visited to solicit support for her quest.
In her address, Adekoya decried the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, saying that “there is no better metaphor for the dangers that women and children face than the Chibok abductions, a saga that threatens everything that we hold sacrosanct as a people.”
Noting that there could be a salutary feature in the Chibok saga, she 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.