Appeal Court president calls for gender equity in NBA leadership

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has called upon the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to prioritise gender equity in its leadership.

Dongban-Mensem, at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the NBA on Sunday, criticised the lack of female representation in NBA leadership.

“It is quite sad that we have not had a female president of the bar for over three decades,” Justice Dongban-Mensem declared before a room crowded with legal luminaries and dignitaries on Sunday at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.

At the NBA election in July, Afam Osigwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was elected president-elect, succeeding Yakubu Maikyau (SAN).

Dongban-Mensem noted that the bar should display gender equity and justice by electing a female president.

She said, “Equity and vibrant justice, especially gender-wise, should be fortified and demonstrated in the Nigerian Bar Association.

“It is not encouraging that since the inception of the association, only one female, in the person of Dame Priscilla Kuye, ascended to the seat of the President from 1991 to 1992, in a profession that boasts near equality.

“It is quite sad that we have not had a female president of the Bar for over three decades. We cannot demand equity in a progressive society and be regressive among our ranks. Therefore, more has to be done.”