Seven Wonder Women Awards: Women In Law and Women In Power & Energy nominees

Women In Law and Women In Power & Energy make up this week’s impressive – and slightly “over-subscribed” – line-up of contenders for these two awards.

For Law, we just couldn’t keep the list down to 10, and so we have finalised on 12 entries. It is not surprising, as so many talented women in Nigeria started off as lawyers, and then some went on to answer other callings. Those who’ve persevered in Legal Practice have shown real grit and have withstood the test of time in a country, which perhaps suffers from a complicated legal climate and/or process.

As always, we’ve kept their role descriptions (in brackets) deliberately brief, as many are multi-talented and transcend a few roles and appointments. I highly commend and congratulate everyone on these two lists for the impact they are having in their given field. Please note, that they are listed in alphabetical order, not according to how many nominations they received.

There are a couple or “firsts” on this list of nominees for Women In Law. Some very high calibre women who have achieved a position or qualification in Legal Practice before any other woman. Even though there are many female lawyers in Nigeria, all the same, these barrier-breaking women stand out and should make other women proud as their sector becomes more competitive further up the career ladder, for example in Corporate Law, where we have witnessed some very recent game-changers.

We also wanted to recognise women who have demonstrated a proven track record in the protection of the rights of women, while also advancing the cause for the empowerment of women within the legal and political sphere, legal practitioners who strive to create more awareness about the issues affecting women. They are trailblazers or “lobbyists” who are pushing lawmakers to change laws in order to empower women (e.g. in cases of sexual and physical violence against women, rights of widows, family law matters and more).

We were also interested in seeing nominations for SANs, doctorate level lawyers or those with dual or triple qualifications who may also practice International Human Rights Law for the benefit of Nigerian women or all women.

Next up is Power & Energy. Without energy, there’s no power. And without power, there’s no energy. WHO are the women who really “power” Nigeria? In a country that (ironically) has power issues, we were looking for women who are real driving forces in this area. Certainly, with more efficient energy and power in the country, Nigeria’s women will become more empowered.

The nominees for Power & Energy are real power women and they really have a lot of energy to go with it. We were looking for potential winners who are at the top of the game in the corporate world of Oil & Gas, and therefore can influence some key decision-makers to improve the country; OR women already heading in the Social Impact direction and who are engaged in Renewable Energy or alternative energy solutions.

This category also recognises women who have successfully advanced Nigeria’s energy efficiency and access to power for local communities across the country. These nominees have also demonstrated some capacity and action to providing more access to power for women, particularly in rural areas, to conduct their local vocations especially against the challenges of the power issues the country faces (the energy deficit), not to mention the lesser role of women compared to men in these sectors in the first place.

We congratulate our nominees for the Women In Power & Energy Sector for making a huge impact in general, with some branching into renewable energy to contribute to sustainable energy, which in turn contributes to the sustainable economic growth of Nigeria.

Women In Law
Funke Adekoya – SAN (Aelex Partner)
Rashida Afolabi (Seven Energy Managing Counsel/Group Company Secretary)
Funke Agbor – SAN (Adepetun Caxton-Martins Agbor & Segun Partner)
Natasha Akpoti (Builders Hub Impact Investment Program Founder)
Dr Myma Belo-Osagie (Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie Partner)
Kofo Dosekun – SAN (Aluko & Oyebode Managing Partner)
Adesua Dozie (GE Africa General Counsel)
Stella Duru (Banwo & Ighodalo Partner)
Funmi Falana (Falana & Falana Managing Partner)
Hauwa Ibrahim (The Peace Institute President)
Pastor Justice Morenike Obadina (Family Court and Probate Judge, Lagos State Judiciary)
Chief Mrs Folake Solanke – SAN (First Female Senior Advocate of Nigeria)

Women In Power & Energy
Fatima Ademoh (Ajima Youth Founder)
Habiba Ali (SOSAI Renewable Energies Company CEO)
Catherine Ifejika (BUNL Chairperson/CEO)
Dr Amy Jadesimi (LADOL CEO)
Hannah Kabir (Creeds Energy Founder)
Ifeoma Malo (Clean Technology Hub Founder)
Vera Nwanze (Azuri Technologies (West Africa) GM)
Damilola Ogunbiyi (Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency MD)
Anita Okuribido (Council for Renewable Energy (Nigeria) President)
Ronke Onadeko (DRNL Consult Principal Consultant)