Barriers, Not Lack Of Capacity, Held Women Back – NBA President Elect 

The President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Ojusanya (SAN), says women have long been held back from the association’s highest office not by a lack of ability but by barriers that have limited their opportunities.

Speaking on TVC News’ Beyond the Headlines, Badejo-Ojusanya reflected on her historic emergence as the first woman to be elected President of the 93-year-old NBA through a direct vote, describing it as a breakthrough for female lawyers and professionals across Nigeria.

She becomes only the second woman to lead the association, 34 years after Dame Priscilla Kuye became NBA President through succession in 1991.

“The opportunities that exist are difficult to exploit, and people have not exploited them not because they don’t have the capacity, but because those barriers are there,” she said.

The senior advocate said her campaign inspired many women who saw her candidacy as proof that leadership positions previously considered unattainable were within reach.

“I’ve heard so many female lawyers and female professionals generally come up to me and say, ‘You inspire me. Because you’re doing this, I can do anything,’” she said.

Since her victory, Badejo-Ojusanya said she had received numerous messages from women expressing pride in her achievement and thanking her for demonstrating that the NBA’s top office is no longer beyond the reach of women.

She attributed her success to hard work, determination and the values instilled by her family rather than any sense of entitlement.

Raised in what she described as an intellectually stimulating environment, Badejo-Ojusanya said her parents emphasised integrity, excellence and diligence, values that shaped her professional journey.

Looking ahead, she said she hopes her election will encourage more women to aspire to leadership positions within the legal profession and beyond, while ensuring that the wait for another female NBA president is not as long as the 34 years between the association’s first and second women leaders.