Why Women Judges Seek Gender Balance In Leadership, By CJN

ABUJA – The Chief Justice of Nigeria and President, National Association of Women Judges, Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Wednesday, explained the ra­tionale behind the agitation for equitable gender balance in lead­ership roles.

Justice Kekere-Ekun spoke at a two-day training workshop organised by the National Asso­ciation of Women Judges Nigeria (NAWJN) in conjunction with the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and the National Judicial Institute, Abuja.

“The judiciary, as one of the three arms of government, must take the lead in setting a precedent for gender balance in leadership.

“It is essential for citizens to see themselves represented in every sphere of governance”, she said.

While recognising that signif­icant strides have been made in appointing women to judicial po­sitions, Justice Kekere-Ekun de­manded that more work remains to be done to achieve true national representation.

“Challenges such as gender bias, work-life balance struggles, lack of mentorship, and unfavour­able working conditions continue to pose obstacles to women’s ca­reer advancement.

“However, with concerted ef­forts and deliberate policies, these challenges can be addressed”, she added.

The CJN noted that the IAWJ has demonstrated an unwaver­ing commitment to empowering women in the legal profession by partnering with Co-Impact, a philanthropic collaborative fund, to implement a multi-year programme aimed at fostering sustainable leadership pathways for women in the global South.

“Nigeria is privileged to be among the five countries benefit­ing from this initiative, alongside Kenya, South Africa, Mexico, and the Philippines.

“The WILIL project was estab­lished to identify and dismantle the barriers hindering women from attaining leadership posi­tions in the legal profession”, she said.

With the theme, ‘Addressing Barriers to Women’s Advance­ment in the Judiciary’, the CJN stated has provided valuable guidance and assistance towards gender parity in leadership.

“The WILIL project will con­tinue to explore pertinent issues and devise strategies that will help dismantle the barriers impeding the career progression of women in the legal profession”, Justice Kekere-Ekun said.

Justice Kekere-Ekun empha­sised that the initiative is not a contest between genders but rather a concerted effort towards national development.

More so, she said that societ­ies that prioritise the inclusion of women in key sectors, partic­ularly in leadership and decision making roles, tend to experience greater prosperity.

Also, speaking, Hon. Justice Chinwe Iyizoba (rtd), Judicial Coordinator, WILIL Project, dis­closed that the project is being sponsored by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) through its partnership with Co-Impact, a global, philan­thropic collaborative fund to de­velop and implement a multiyear programme to enable, support and promote sustainable leader­ship pathways for women in the judiciary across the global South.

While appreciating the vari­ous roles women judges are occu­pying in Nigeria, Justice Iyizoba said “there is nothing to stop the WILIL project from being a huge success in Nigeria.

“Our plan is to identify and address challenges that hinder women from succeeding in their leadership journeys within the judiciary.

“Our goal along with IAWJ is to collaboratively develop specific strategies for our country Nigeria to help us overcome sustainably these barriers and challenges.

“As stakeholders you are in a vantage position to help us brainstorm on how to create the enabling environment for wom­en judges to rise, thrive and attain gender parity within the higher courts of our land”, she said.

Earlier, the Administrator of NJI, Justice Salisu Abdullahi (rtd), welcomed participants, and assured the women judges of the Institute’s resolve and readiness to partner women Judges’ associ­ations towards gender balance in leadership roles.