The Wheatbaker, a high-end leisure and hospitality establishment in Ikoyi, Lagos, was the venue of the 2023 edition of the annual ‘Inspire Her’ series organized by the Advocacy Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Women Forum ( NBAWF).
These annual sessions are convened in a bid to help build capacity among female lawyers – especially those in their early stages of practice – by equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in an increasingly challenging legal marketplace characterised by changing social and work paradigms, as well as by the advent of new and potentially disruptive technologies which are defining the ways in which we live, work and interact with one another.
The focus of each ‘Inspire Her’ session is on the life-journey, work and legacy of an accomplished female icon, and what lessons may be derived from her example.
NEWSWIRE Law & Events Magazine correspondent in Lagos reports that this year’s guest was no other than the lawyer, businesswoman and politician, Senator Daisy Danjuma, a former federal legislator who is currently the Executive Vice-Chairman of South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO), a foremost Nigerian oil exploration company.
The event was also graced by the presence of a number of senior lawyers such as Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN, founding partner at the law firm of Aelex, and Mrs. Dorothy Udeme Ufot, SAN, founding partner at the law firm of Dorothy Ufot & Co. Also in attendance were a cross-section of NBAWF executive council members, as well as a large number of lawyers of various post-call experience levels.
Welcoming attendees to the gathering, the Chairperson of the NBAWF, Mrs. Chinyere Okorocha, lauded Senator Danjuma for not only accepting to participate in the session – at short notice – but to sponsor it as well. She expressed confidence that the session would help impart a business-oriented mindset (which she described as a much-needed attribute but one which is presently at a premium) into the psyche of attendees and change their approach to the practice of the profession of law. The choice of Sen. Danjuma, she said, was an inspired one because of the Senator’s successes in legal practice, business and politics – essentially areas which were hitherto seen as exclusive male preserves when she was starting out.
Also welcoming guests to the event, the Lagos State lead of the NBAWF, Mrs. Adefowoke Ayo-Ponle, gave a brief overview of the work and evolution of the NBAWF. First created in 2006 during the tenure of former NBA President Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, the NBAWF went moribund shortly after (due to a combination of unfavorable factors). However, it experienced a resurgence in 2019 (with its re-inauguration by then-NBA President Paul Usoro, SAN) owing to the need for a strong platform to cater to the interests of female members of the NBA, as well as to enhance the tone of its participation in international fora such as the International Bar Association (IBA). Under the leadership of its pioneer post-2019 Chairperson, Prof. Oluyemisi Bamgbose, SAN, and the incumbent, Mrs. Chinyere Okorocha, the NBAWF has recorded some success in meeting its stated goals, namely:
- to address matters of interest to female lawyers;
- to ensure efficient and impactful networking among female lawyers; and
- to be an influential voice for female lawyers in the society and globally.
Run nationally by a Governing Council comprising of a 5-member executive committee and 7 council members, the activities of the NBAWF are run centrally through 11 Standing Committees, as well as through State Leads in all 36 states of the country and the federal capital, Abuja) and Branch Facilitators
The citation of the special guest at the occasion, Sen. Danjuma was read by Ifeoma Ben. Daisy Danjuma (nee Ehanire) was born on August 6, 1952 in Benin City (in what is now Edo State of Nigeria). She had her early education in Benin City and Port Harcourt, Rivers State. After her secondary education, she proceeded to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where she graduated with a BA in Law in 1976. She was called to the Nigerian Bar the following year. The young Daisy served as a State Counsel with the Ministry of Justice of Lagos State during her mandatory year of national service; she was a legal counsel to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria. She also worked as an Executive Assistant at the Nigerian Acceptances Limited (NAL), a merchant bank, from 1977 to 1978, before becoming the company secretary/legal adviser to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) from 1982 to 1992.
In 2003, Danjuma was elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing the Edo South Senatorial District. She served for a single term of 4 years, which ended in 2007. While in the upper legislative chamber, she served as Chairman or member of a number of committees, namely the Senate Committees on Women Affairs and Youth Development; Health; Education; Finance; and Land Transport. Her position also gave her the opportunity to be a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). She was also the Chairman of the Woman and Child Rights Committee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.
The Senator, who is married to Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Minister of Defence during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, later partnered her husband in the founding of the aforementioned oil exploration company, South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO).
In a session anchored by Mrs. Okorocha, the NBAWF Chairperson, Sen. Danjuma gave a typically blunt but down-to-earth exposition of her family background and early life; her dreams and aspirations while growing up; her motivations for the choices she has made so far; the challenges she faced in her career and in business, and how she was able to surmount them; the opportunities that came her way – sometimes in the most fortuitous manner – and how she was able to maximize them; and her marriage to one of Nigeria’s most respected military officers and the challenge of balancing her work with her role as wife and mother.
The Senator also dwelt at length on her public role and the concerns which drove her into politics – concerns which still animate her to this day. One of them is the practice of female genitalh mutilation (or FGM) in Edo State. She recalled her fight, as a Senator, against the practice and against the underlying misconceptions behind it, and expressed gratification that, thanks to her efforts, consultations and other engagements, the Edo State House of Assembly eventually became the first state in Nigeria to domesticate and pass a law banning the practice of FGM in that state.
Another concern of hers is the high incidence of maternal and infant mortality – in which, sadly, Nigeria holds the dubious distinction of being the world’s No. 1. Although her efforts, during her stewardship in the national assembly, to push for a reproductive rights bill proved abortive – with most of her (male) colleagues dismissing it as an ‘abortion bill ‘, she has been undeterred. She disclosed to the assembled attendees that she was currently building a hospital in Benin City to cater to the needs of women prone to the risks associated with infant and maternal mortality, in a bid to drastically reduce, if not eliminate, its incidence in Nigeria. In that regard, Sen. Danjuma challenged her listeners to engage with their respective localities of origin and also do something – no matter how little – to help change lives.
Still on her public role, Sen. Danjuma decried the current political environment in Nigeria, which she described as self-serving and ultimately incapable of meeting the needs of the Nigerian people. To rescue the democratic experience in our country, she called for a constitutional amendment that makes political office a part-time affair – to deter political jobbers of all kinds, who see it as a career and cash-cow. She also called for the strengthening of our national institutions based on the rule of law and the principle of equity, justice and fairness. The present culture of impunity in our society, she warned, is an invitation to chaos and anarchy.
The senator also had many words of advice for younger lawyers, calling on them to cultivate the attributes of diligence, doggedness, integrity and self-confidence – a combination which she said would eventually open the portals of career and business success, no matter the obstacles on the way. Also important, she added, are the attributes of patience and perseverance, as well as good communication skills.
The highly insightful session was followed by an equally lively Q&A session in which a number of attendees expressed interest, or concern, and made observations about various topical issues and trends affecting women in their multi-layered roles as family nurturers and as professionals and businesspeople. On the issue of women supporting women, the Senator called for more public engagements such as the ‘ Inspire Her’ series, more synergy, and more networking platforms, while pledging to do her best to facilitate such platforms. More importantly, however, she hastened to add, each woman to put enough stock in herself, her uniqueness as a human being and a professional, as a pre-condition for anyone else seeing her qualities and supporting support her. ‘Why should I support you, ‘ Danjuma asked rhetorically, ‘ if you’re not supporting yourself? ‘ And on the vexed issue of the work-life balance – which was a recurrent theme throughout the session – Sen. Danjuma stressed the critical importance of time-management. If you love something enough, she said in conclusion, you’ll make time for it.
The session came to a close with a presentation of a plaque of appreciation to this year’s special guest by Mrs. Irene Ini Pepple, the national Secretary of the NBAWF, and closing remarks by the body’s publicity secretary, Theodora Kio-Lawson.
NEWSWIRE Magazine’s correspondent reports that the rest of the evening was given over to photo sessions and networking, against the backdrop of a lovely medley of musical favourites by the in-house group, as the NBA Women Forum savoured yet another successful session in the ‘Inspire Her’ series.
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