Progress maybe slow but like someone said if you follow one course you will eventually achieve success.
The past week has seen the nomination of Nigeria’s first female Chief Justice of Nigeria and the election of our own Oby Nwankwo in the UN CEDAW committee.
Justice Muhktar is not just the first female justice of the Supreme Court, she is a fearless advocate for truth and justice as evidenced by her dissenting judgement during the SC’s decision on Yardua and Buhari in 2008.
Justice Mukhtar alongside Justices George Oguntade (now retired) and Walter Onnoghen, ruled against the late Yar’Adua and insisted that there was substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2006 in the election that produced him in 2007. Today, her stand is widely acclaimed in legal circles and the academia.
She has been described as true patriot and a woman of the highest integrity.
I have had the pleasure to work with Oby Nwankwo since 2003. She is a foremost advocate for domestic violence victims in Nigeria, a field she committed to after a personal tragedy that took her sisters life.
Nwankwo holds a Masters degree in Criminal Law and served in the Anambra State Judiciary as a Magistrate for 23 years, voluntarily retired from the Judiciary in 2004 and has been in the forefront of the campaign for the respect for women’s rights, gender equality and good governance.
I would like to congratulate both our sisters for their tireless commitment to the cause of truth and justice in Nigeria and for the inevitable recognition of their hard work and sterling knowledge and expertise in their fields. I am especially proud that both of them are learned colleagues.
I recently launched the Women’s Legal Defence Trust Fund and I am confident that the elevation of our sisters to these two positions is an incredible boost to our plans to develop a body of case law for women’s rights in Nigeria.
I am sure that I speak for all Nigerian women when I say that we are right here with you and behind you to carry on the good work. I look forward to working with you both for our country and for the women of our country.
MzAgams 