… As women Minister seeks NBA partnership on implementation of VAPP, Child Rights Act, access to justice
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Federal Government has called for a stronger strategic partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to strengthen the implementation of laws and policies protecting women, children and other vulnerable Nigerians.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made the call in Abuja when the 33rd President of the NBA, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, and members of the association’s executive paid her a courtesy visit at the ministry.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the collaboration would help strengthen legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of women and children, improve access to justice and ensure that government policies translated into tangible impact across the country.
The minister congratulated Badejo-Okusanya on her election, describing her emergence as a significant milestone for Nigerian women and an inspiration to girls across the country.
“On behalf of all the women in Nigeria, over 140 million, I congratulate our sister for assuming this role. You are an inspiration to every woman and every girl in Nigeria,” she said.
She described the NBA President’s victory as evidence that women could attain the highest leadership positions when given the opportunity and adequate support from both women and men.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged the NBA to regard itself as an accountability partner of the ministry in ensuring effective implementation of laws and policies affecting women, children and vulnerable groups.
“See me as your sister, your accountability partner and your partner in progress and prosperity for our women, our children and our families,” she said.
According to her, the ministry had identified the NBA as a critical partner in ensuring that Nigeria’s legal instruments and policies were effectively implemented at all levels.
She specifically cited the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Child Rights Act as critical instruments for preventing abuse and protecting vulnerable Nigerians, stressing that their implementation must extend beyond Abuja to states, local governments and communities.“Most policies do not get fully implemented.
The legal instruments we have must be implemented. Otherwise, for so many people, it’s an issue of life and death,” the minister said.
She appealed to the NBA to provide constructive oversight and support in strengthening the country’s child protection architecture, particularly against the backdrop of Nigeria’s rapidly growing population.
The minister disclosed that the ministry had, upon her assumption of office, conducted a comprehensive assessment of its policy environment and identified gaps in policies, guidelines and frameworks.
She said the ministry was consequently working to strengthen critical instruments covering areas such as adoption protocols, the operation of orphanages and the provision of childcare facilities, including crèches.
“As the lead protection Ministry, we have to do a lot to be able to tell people: this is the way we go as a country, so that every other stakeholder can support those systems and structures,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also called for greater collaboration on access to justice, including the establishment and effective functioning of family courts capable of addressing the needs of children, vulnerable persons and the less privileged.
She asked: “How do we make sure that there’s a family court or there’s a functional family court in every local government, in any local community?
How do we make sure that we address the issues of access to justice, not just for our children, but for the vulnerable and the less privileged?”
On women’s political participation, the minister urged the NBA to support efforts to translate Nigeria’s 35 per cent affirmative action commitment into reality.
She said achieving greater representation of women in leadership required deliberate efforts to build a pipeline of competent women, particularly through professional associations and networks of women lawyers.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also commended Nigerian men who supported Badejo-Okusanya’s emergence, stressing that advancing women’s leadership required partnership between both genders.
Earlier, the NBA President expressed appreciation to the minister for the warm reception and commended her efforts towards advancing the interests of women, children and vulnerable Nigerians.
Badejo-Okusanya said she had followed the minister’s work and was impressed by the impact of initiatives being implemented by the ministry.
“I know that it’s common for people to come and say all sorts of nice things, but we see the effect of what you are doing,” she said.
She described the NBA as a critical stakeholder in government policy and assured the minister that the association would provide the necessary legal support for policies and programmes affecting Nigerians
“The NBA is a critical stakeholder in any government policy because we must lend our support to the legal aspects of all policies. We want to assure you that all your initiatives will receive our collaboration and support,” she said.
The NBA President stressed the importance of ensuring that both men and women were represented in decision-making spaces, noting that diversity of perspectives was essential to effective policymaking and national development.
“The greatest progress is when we have both sets of views in the room, driving development,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya also raised concerns over the challenges faced by vulnerable children in accessing justice, particularly cases where children caught up in insurgency-related matters had allegedly been arrested and prosecuted as adults.
She described such situations as unacceptable and called for stronger legal safeguards to ensure that children were protected from inappropriate legal processes.
The NBA President pledged that the association would work with the ministry to strengthen existing laws, amend outdated legislation and develop appropriate legal frameworks for improved child protection, access to justice and women’s advancement.
“In adjusting laws that have existed for too long, in amending them or completely rewriting them, whatever we need to do, we are here. We promise you our support. We promise you our collaboration,” she said.
She further pledged the NBA’s support for initiatives aimed at accelerating legal reforms and promoting women’s advancement into leadership positions.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, members of the NBA Executive, representatives of women-focused organisations, development partners and other stakeholders.
