By Joke Kujenya
SEVEN MONTHS into her tenure as Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, pretty and brainy Mrs Uchenna Ogunedo Akingbade describes the role as intense, demanding and deeply instructive.
JKNewsMedia.com writes that, a distinguished legal practitioner and Partner at Sunesis DLP, she assumed office on July 25, 2025, becoming the first woman to chair the association’s Lagos Branch in its long history.
Thus, the position places her at the helm of one of the most influential branches of the Bar in Nigeria.
“It’s been interesting. It’s been intense. It’s been nonstop,” she says, reflecting on the early months of her administration.
Steering the Largest Branch
Leading the Lagos Branch requires more than presiding over meetings. She said the chairman oversees the executive committee, supervises numerous branch committees and provides direction on welfare, professional conduct and rule of law advocacy.
According to Akingbade, the most demanding element has been managing diverse interests within the Bar.
“This role has a lot to do with people management,” she explains. “I understood that during the campaign, but I did not fully grasp the extent of it.”
Balancing personalities, expectations and institutional priorities while maintaining focus on the core objectives of the Bar including promotion of the rule of law and members’ welfare has all defined my leadership approach, she further explains.
She also describes the experience as a “learning curve” marked by constant engagement and oversight.
Leadership Without Gender Framing
She said while her election marked a historic shift, yet I reject the notion that my victory was symbolic.
“I ran a gender-neutral campaign,” she states. “We won fair and square.”
She maintains that at no point did she frame her candidacy around gender. If gender was raised, she notes, it came from observers, not from her team. In her view, the mandate was earned on merit, not sentiment.
Tokenism, she argues, implies unearned advantage. “The women I know who are holding leadership positions are competent and making a difference,” she says. “Nobody dashed me this position.”
Her experience since taking office, she adds, has been marked by strong support across gender lines.
She cannot point to a moment when she felt treated differently because she is a woman. If anything, she suggests, members appear invested in ensuring the success of her tenure.
Beyond the Token Debate
While dismissing tokenism in her case, Akingbade acknowledges that systemic barriers have historically limited women’s access to leadership corridors.
She advocates merit-based advancement but concedes that structural gaps exist. Creating a level playing field, she argues, may require deliberate balancing measures.
“If giving a little advantage helps level the ground, so be it,” she says, while reiterating that competence must remain central.
Her position reflects a broader tension within professional spaces: how to reconcile strict meritocracy with longstanding social imbalances.
Domestic Structures and Professional Ambition
For Akingbade, one of the most significant constraints facing women lies beyond institutional policy.
She identifies domestic responsibility as a primary limiting factor. “If the domestic side is not covered, it will affect how a woman puts herself out there,” she says.
Household management, childcare and entrenched societal expectations still disproportionately fall on women. Without structured support systems at home, professional ambition becomes harder to sustain.
She points to informal family networks and domestic assistance, particularly within Nigeria, as practical support structures that can ease the burden. However, she stresses that stability and understanding within the home remain critical.
“Rather than burning down domestically, give things time,” she advises, acknowledging that professional progression may not always follow a linear timeline.
Flexibility as Policy Reform
Beyond the home, Akingbade calls for institutional flexibility.
Hybrid work arrangements and flexible scheduling, she argues, can significantly enhance women’s performance without diminishing productivity.
She then rejects the notion that women must consistently over-prove their competence in roles traditionally dominated by men.
“No need to make things twice as hard because they are women,” she says. “What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.”
Akingbade notes that her appeal is directed largely at decision-makers within the profession, many of whom remain male. Fair opportunity, she emphasises, does not require extraordinary concessions but equitable standards.
Inclusion Within Legal Institutions
Assessing inclusivity across Nigeria’s legal institutions, Akingbade offers a mixed verdict.
Within the judiciary, she observes measurable progress. Though gender parity has not been achieved, she believes the bench has covered significant ground in expanding female representation.
The rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), however, tells a different story. Female representation remains comparatively low. This disparity, she suggests, is partly attributable to the demanding process required to attain the rank, extensive case portfolios, geographical spread and sustained intentionality.
“You have to be deliberate,” she says. “It’s not easy.”
Travel demands and the rigours of building a qualifying litigation profile can deter women balancing professional and domestic roles.
Normalising Women in Power
Despite the gaps, Akingbade projects steady transformation.
Her own election, she notes, would have seemed improbable in previous decades. Visibility, she also argues, is transformative. Once women see others successfully navigating leadership and domestic responsibilities, ambition becomes tangible.
“Human beings are visual,” she says. “What we see is programmed into our subconscious as achievable.”
However, she anticipates significant normalisation of women in leadership within the next 10 to 20 years. As younger generations, particularly Gen Z and those following, enter the profession, she expects traditional gender boundaries to thin further.
A Message to Emerging Lawyers
To young women aspiring to leadership, Akingbade’s counsel centres on clarity and consistency.
“Understand your why,” she says. Inspiration and motivation, she argues, must be anchored in purpose rather than position.
She also urges young female legal professionals to remain proactive, consistent and values driven. Ambition without internal conviction, she suggests, is difficult to sustain in demanding environments.
“Show up. Be consistent. Take the initiative,” she advises.
JKNewsMedia.com writes that Akingbade said the Lagos Branch of the NBA navigates its current chapter under her leadership, indicating that her tenure represents more than a personal milestone.
Rather it signals an evolving professional landscape in which leadership, she insists, is defined not by gender, but by competence and conviction.
