By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has pledged to work with members and stakeholders to heal divisions within the legal profession and promote unity in the association ahead of her inauguration next month.
Badejo-Okusanya made the commitment on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The NBA president-elect said she had commenced consultations with members and stakeholders across the association, adding that her administration would address concerns arising from the recently concluded election and strengthen the unity of the legal body.
“My swearing-in is not until the end of August. In the meantime, I continue to reach out to members and stakeholders so that we can work together to improve things, heal any hurt anyone has, and ensure that the NBA continues to fulfil its role to society,” she said.
She assured members and the public that her administration would prioritise reconciliation, inclusiveness and institutional stability.
“Everything that needs to be done, I can assure members and the public that I will do. We’ll make sure that we unite ourselves and put our house in order,” she added.
On her meeting with President Tinubu, Badejo-Okusanya said the President congratulated her on her electoral victory, while discussions centred on the challenges associated with electronic voting and the use of technology in electoral processes.
According to her, the meeting also focused on improving the NBA’s electoral system through continuous reforms.
“He congratulated me on the victory. We talked about the challenges of electronic voting and technology, and we spoke about ways in which we can continue to improve our processes. It was very encouraging,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya, who emerged as the first female elected president of the Nigerian Bar Association, is expected to be inaugurated at the end of August.
