‘Women Must Aim for Leadership, in All Areas of Human Endeavour’

At 93, Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu, CON, SAN still possesses sharp intellect and runs a thriving law firm. He is up-to-date, and has views on most things. In an interview with
Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi last week, he engaged us on his hope for a better Nigeria, a better Lagos, while also expressing his views about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road. The former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing in General Yakubu Gowon’s Government, challenged Nigerian women to aspire for the leadership positions in every human endeavour, encouraging them to do so as of right, and not by legislative action 

Learned Silk Sir, you have been in governance from the earliest days of Nigeria. We recently marked International Women’s Month. What would you say about the evolution of women in politics and governance in Nigeria, from the 1950s to date? Have they done well? Or is the gender equality gap still too wide? If you had been told in the earlier days that by 2026, Nigeria would have had only one female Governor, and only for a brief period, would you have believed it?

1) Abba women’s Riots, 1929

2) Mrs Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti, with her Women’s League whose agitation against tax led to the abdication of Sir Adedamola Ademola, the Alake of Abeokuta, from the throne of Egba Land, and led to his exile from Abeokuta. Sir Adedamola was the father of Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria.

3) Mrs Priscilla Kuye (nee Adekogbe) remains alone in Nigerian legal history, as the first female President of Nigerian Bar Association to date.

4) Mrs Olu Maduka remains the only woman President in the history of

Nigerian Society of Engineers. She followed the foot steps of her husband, Engr. Vincent Dele Ifeanyi Maduka. She remains a sole figure.

5) Mrs Olubukunola Ejiwumi made history by becoming the first woman to lead the National Institute of Architects, the main professional organisation for Architects in Nigeria. There has been no other female President since her tenure.

6) In the Judiciary, Nigeria has been blessed with female State Chief Judges, such as in Lagos. Two daughters of Mr Justice Williams of Fafunwa Street, Victoria Island were Chief Judges of Lagos State. The elder one was Mrs Justice Ayotunde Phillips, and the younger daughter, Mrs Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade.

In our legal profession Sir, even though these days there are as many women being called to the Bar as men, we see the gender disparity, even in the composition of the Justices at the highest level of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court. The number of women who have taken Silk too, is minuscule compared to the men. What do you think is responsible for this gap? Is it that the women of today aren’t fighting hard enough for positions? Or is it that they are satisfied with the tokenism allowed by the men? How do you think the gender gap can be bridged? Are you in support of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill currently being considered? 

Today, Nigeria is blessed with a female Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, the second in her history, following the footsteps of Mrs Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON who is the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria. There are several other female Supreme Court Justices presently serving. 

Past female Justices of the Supreme Court were Mrs Justice Claira Ogunbiyi, Mrs Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, Mrs Justice Amina Augie, and Mrs Justice Mary Peter-Odili. 

I must take this opportunity to denounce wholeheartedly in retrospect the judicial injunction of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr Justice Walter Onnoghen, who by Judicial Order said that a female Judge must be addressed as “my Lord”, and that women Lawyers must use the suffix, esquire, after their names!

Women are there in large numbers, in all professional fields. Leadership is within their grasp. They can do it. They must go in for leadership either in politics or at the Bar, or in the Nigerian Society of Engineers, or among Estate Surveyors and Valuers, or in the medical profession, or in the profession of architecture, or any other professional bodies. Women should aim at running for leadership, in all areas of human endeavour.

In the coming 2027 General Elections whether State, Federal or Local

Government elections, I would like to see Nigerian women as candidates for Governors, members of the National and State Assemblies, and Chairwomen of Local Government Councils in large numbers and in different parties. This is the time now, that party conventions are on and the various parties are nominating their front runners. 

I am not in favour of the current agitation for legislative action to empower women, or create seats in the legislatures for women. I am all out for women to stand for elections at all levels of government, and to be elected as of right. They have the numbers. Under all our Constitutions, women have equal rights as men to be elected into all elective offices, or professional associations, or as Chairwomen in all public institutions, and in the private sector as citizens of Nigeria. I call on all Women of Nigeria. You Have Nothing To Lose, But Your Chains. Go out in large numbers, to join the various political parties – APC, ADC, PDP, Labour Party and others, now that they are having their conventions and presenting their candidates for the various offices, like Governors, Deputy Governors, Legislators, party leadership and so on. This Is The Time.

Women are doing marvellously well on the world stage in all fields of human endeavours, including Nigerian women. I call on all Nigerian Women again, to be up and doing. Do Not Leave It Alone To Men! 

If I had been told that, today, Nigeria would boast of only one Female Governor, or 2 Female Chief Justices, possibly less than 10 female Supreme Court Justices, and a handful of female State Chief Judges, I would never have believed it. If some people had suggested to me in the late 1950’s as Secretary General of the Nigeria Union of Great Britain and Ireland with 32 branches in the U.K., or in the 1960’s that only a minuscule number of Nigerian Women would be in leadership positions in the past 30 years of civil government, I would never have believed it.

What is responsible for this state of affairs? Male chauvinism, or female inertia – or both?

The gender inequality can only be bridged by women themselves, not by tokenism or the legislature, but by producing more and more women like Mrs Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Margaret Ekpo. There was Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, who was very widely regarded as the pioneer of the struggle for liberation of Women in the Northern Region, born in 1933 and died in 2001. There was also Aishat Jummai who was the first elected female Governor in Nigeria – and none ever since! There was Franca Afegbuwa who represented Bendel North as the second female Senator in Nigeria; Chief Mrs Wuraola Esan, Iyalode Ibadan, was the first female Senator in Nigeria. How many female members in the Senate since Senator Oluremi Tinubu and a handful of others to date?

Those were bygone days!

The suggestion about reserved seats for Women in our legislatures, does not appeal to me. Hajiya Aisha, on occasion, publicly criticised her husband, President Buhari. Today, President Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is carrying out public duties, promoting several causes in support of her husband’s government.

I am not in support of the agitation for reserve seats for women, in the legislative councils in the country. I am in support of emergent Mrs Ransome-Kutis, new Margret Ekpos, more emergent Gambo Sawabas, to rise up and remove the chains on their necks NOW, in this season when the political parties are nominating their candidates for Federal, State and Local Government elections, and fight for their rights for elective offices and churn Tokenism. They should Now say to men – We Are Removing The Chains, you have put on our necks.

Today Is The Time, Not Tomorrow, Tomorrow Will Be Too Late

All political parties must include women in all political offices as their candidates, at least one-third or half of all candidates of the coming 2027 elections. I saw very few female faces at APC, and also ADC party conventions held a few weeks ago – very few. Nigerian women should tell ALL party leaders that, if you do not nominate us as candidates in all elective offices soon, we will not vote for men in any party in the coming 2027 elections. If you fail to offer us elective offices in this Election Season (2026 – 2027), we will not vote for you in the coming elections.

I have said enough already about Nigerian Women. There are too many male faces at campaign rallies, on the television. Women should remove the iron chains on their necks.

With hindsight, as a former Federal Commissioner for Works, what is your view about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the furore it has elicited? Many have complained that the mere 700-kilometre road is overpriced and not worth it. Many of the owners of properties demolished along the route are also said to have been inadequately compensated, or not compensated at all

If you ask me about Lagos – Calabar Coastal Road, I will say “YES”. But I am not in favour of the process of choosing the contractor. I, as Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing in General Gowon’s Government, would have gone through the public tender procedure. The best contractor, would then have emerged thereby.

I now come to road development. When, at the end of the civil war in 1970,  I mooted the idea of Lagos – Ondo – Warri – Port Harcourt. Road network, Prof Chike Obi came to Lagos and said to me: if you created Lagos – Warri – Port Harcourt road, you would kill Lagos – Shagamu – Benin – Onitsha trade. I abandoned the idea, because central State was still suffering from the effect of the civil war.

In a few months, Nigeria will be 66. As an elder Statesman, does this country meet your aspirations? As a foremost nationalist, is this the Nigeria of your dreams?

The question may be asked: is Nigeria today the Nigeria of my dreams as a young nationalist ? Certainly not.

At King’s College 1948-1953, I learnt the rudiments of democracy. I was elected by the students as the Secretary to the Students Council, set up by the principal (J. R. Bunting), to share governance with him by a vote of 53 to 46 for my opponent. The electorate was over 60% of the student population. Earlier as a primary school boy, Alhaji Okunnu was a supporter of N.C.N.C./Democratic Alliance led by Mr Herbert Macaulay and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

“Demo lo ni eko”.

The opposition party was Nigeria Youth Movement, let by Dr Akinola Maja, Chief H.O. Davies, SAN, Chief T.A. Doherty, and Dr Kofo Abayomi.

Prominent politicians between 1940 (when I was growing up) and 1956 were men and women of means, mostly Lawyers and Doctors. They were independent people by profession. They did not depend on the colonial government, for their means of livelihood.

Unfortunately today, most of our politicians live on what they get from the governments at all levels – Federal, State or Local Government. Most of the politicians in modern times are like nomadic people, moving from one party to another – PDP, in the night, Labour Party or ADC in the morning, and APC in the afternoon. Most of them have no principle, to guide them. Most politicians are there for what they can grab from the Governments. The parties have no manifestos to present to the public before elections, like the Action Group in 1950’s in its manifesto which introduced free education and free health care for all Nigerians.

This is the time for all the parties to tell the public what they will offer Nigeria in their political manifestos, or what they will perform when they gain political power.

Then there’s population explosion. In my youth, the country’s population was said to be 25 million. Later, it was 60 million, from 60 million it rose to 100 million, and today, our population is said to be 200 million, rising to 230 million people. 

The pundits shout about lack of electricity, drinking water, food to eat, lack of housing to live in. We expect government to provide all these amenities for us, with tight budgets. Nigerians rely largely on oil – the farmlands are occupied by bandits! Yet, the government must keep their election promises to the people.

The Tinubu Administration has been criticised for being tribalistic, and their appointments not reflecting Federal character vis-a-vis Section 14(3) of the Constitution. One major complaint is that most of the crucial national/political appointments are skewed towards a particular tribe. What is your view on this?

In answer to the question whether Tinubu’s appointments and his administration are skewed towards the Yorubas, I will say that the taste of the cake is in the pudding.

The proper question in my view is, Has President Tinubu fulfilled the requirement of Section 147(3) of the 1999 Constitution, rather than public interest in 3 Lagos State Commissioners President Tinubu brought from Lagos, such as Mr Wale Edun (Ogun State), and the Mineral Resources Minister, Dele Alake (Ekiti State). 

I do not share the view that crucial/national political appointments made by President Tinubu, are skewed towards the Yoruba.

One word about ethnicity. Its place should promoting our diverse culture. Culture should not be mixed with politics in my view, people like Sunday Igboho are grossly misguided. He is completely out of tune. Like Hubert Ogunde, the Yoruba playwright of blessed memory, he should divert his energy to promoting Yoruba Culture. Hubert Ogunde devoted his life and plays on Yoruba cultural life. What I have said about Igboho also applies to Nnamdi Kanu, in his advocacy for a New Biafra. The Republic of Biafra died on the return of Odumegwu Ojukwu from Ivory Coast, and joining N.P.N under President Shagari. I remember Alex Ekwueme’s younger brother, Prof Lazarus Ekwueme, Nigeria musicologist and composer. There were Ben Enwonwu, Nigeria famous painter and sculptor with his icon in front of NEPA building at the Marina. We should never forget Ladi Kwali, the great pottery expert whose pottery gained international acclaim, and whose image is featured on the Nigerian 20 Naira notes today.

I condemn all purveyors of ethnicity into politics. To me, it is like fire in water!

Yoruba culture, Fulani Culture, Igbo Culture, the great Benin Culture, and equally famous Nok Culture on display at Jos Museum, Ibibio Culture, in South South of Nigeria, or Nupe, or the Ijaws – all Cultures should be separated from politics. We are Nigerians, and we should regard ourselves as Nigerians since 1st October, 1960. We should be very proud to be Nigerians, at all times.

I believe in Nigeria, indivisible: if all members of Nigeria’s first eleven members in (Football) team come from Awka or Otukpo, or Yola or Ilesha, I, Femi Okunnu will support such a team, selected in all honesty. That is how my father and my mother brought me up, throughout my childhood, my student years at King’s College, Lagos. That is how I am today.

You still run a busy Law Chambers, at over age 90. You are one of the foremost Senior Advocates of Nigeria. How does the practice of law today, compare with the 1960s and 1970s? Today, we see many Lawyers being involved in scandals, while the Judiciary has also come into question. Was it quite like this in the past? What can be done to improve the narrative?

To your question that at 93 years of age, I still run a busy Law Firm. Yes, I do. But politics, like law, has also been in my blood since my childhood.

Yes, I am the 4th oldest member of the Inner Bar or SAN. I still report at my table in chambers at about 10am, Monday to Sunday, receiving visitors, clients, members of the family and friends.

How does legal practice look today, compared with 1960s and 1970s? Little or no comparison with the giants of the past, much less with my early years at the Bar. Too many cooks spoil the broth today.

According to Coleman, in his Nigeria Background to Nationalism: Published in 1958 at page 134, there were “12 Yoruba Barristers” in the early 1920’s. I read about the giants of the Bar, called to the four Inner Courts in London with their wonderful, and memorable dinners four terms a year. The list included Alhaji Jubril Martins and Alhaji L.B. Augusto, famous for having tea frequently with Archbishop Leo Taylor of the Catholic Church of Nigeria. Others included Mr Alex Taylor, and his eldest son, J. I. C. Taylor; Dr G.B.A. Coker, Chief Rotimi Williams, Chief Fani Kayode, Dr T.O. Elias, Dan Ibekwe, and others.

Among other Judges of note were Justice Mbanefo of Justice Ademola’s Supreme Court, and Justice Charles “Daddy” Onyeama of Lagos High Court. Both of them later served as Justices of the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

Chief Bode Thomas, Mr Kehinde Sofola, Mr M.E.R. Okorodudu (Mero) of the Coker Commission of Enquiry into the performance of six statutory corporations under Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Government in the Western Region, with Chief Sobo Sowemimo as his Junior Counsel must be recognized. We must also include on this list, Mr G.O.K. Ajayi, and Mr A.G.F. Abdul Rasaq who stood tall in the Northern Bar at Kaduna. We must take note of other Supreme Court Justices of late 1970/1980, who included Justices Irikefe, Idigbe, Obaseki, Nnamani, and Uwais and Aniagolu.

The Bar and the Bench had their Most Glorious Years, in the Years 1960 to 1980. 

Lawyers involvement in scandals? I cannot remember any scandals associated with any Lawyers in public in 1960 to 1993, when President Shagari’s Government was overthrown by General Buhari (1983-1986). General Buhari was in turn overthrown by General Babangida (1985-1993). General Abacha was tyrant who entertained no opposition, until he is alleged to have been poisoned by C.I.A. along with MKO Abiola in 1998.

I was the leader of N.P.N in Lagos State, during President Shagari’s administration. He presided over a second coalition government in Nigeria’s history – N.P.N and N.P.P of Zik.

I cannot remember any Lawyer or the Judiciary involved in any scandals, in the 1960s and 1970s. But, today, too many cooks spoil the broth. The Judiciary, in my view, is under stress by the press, politicians and perhaps, by some State Governments.

The Nigerian Bar today, should look into the mirror at its Annual General Meeting, and ask itself whether its members today are satisfied that Lawyers are playing the game according to the rules as members of the Inner and Utter Bar.

Your psychological attachment to the city of your birth, Lagos, is legendary. What would you suggest must be done to make the mega-city better, more peaceful and more liveable? 

You ask about my psychological attachment to Lagos, the city of my birth, with firm roots from my four lineages?

Ko si ibi ti a o fi Eko we, City o!

Lagosians are known to be very accommodating. But, I do not want it to be like the Kikiyus of Kenya, who allowed the white settlers to put in their toes in Kikiyu’s house to avoid rain fall, followed by his legs, then his hands, head, and proceeded to put in his whole body to oust the Kikiyu man from his house.

Jomo Keyntta stood his ground, and said: “No, to the whiteman”. He led Kenya to independence.

The incursions of terrorists and irredentists into the SouthWest, is a serious cause for concern. Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo are almost at the mercy of these criminals. What would you suggest as the panacea? Do you believe that State Police is part of the solution to insecurity?

I am asked about the danger of the incursion of irredentists into South West Nigeria ? I am against terrorism in Makurdi between the Tivs and the Fulanis, as I am against “Boko Haram”. Rasululai said in his life time: “Read, even if it took you to China!”

Terrorists are everywhere in Nigeria: Boko Haram in the Northeast, so are so also in Borno area from Chad Republic. There are terrorists in North West, around Sokoto. Terrorists are in Kwara State, and in the Middle Belt. Terrorists are threatening all over Nigeria, moving Southwards, killing Nigerians in Churches and Mosques alike, destroying towns, villages and arresting men and women, children male and female.

The Nigeria Army, Air Force, Navy and Police are overwhelmed by these terrorists. I believe that  Nigeria will overwhelm and defeat them, like Malaysia did many years ago, without foreign military boots on their land. I Do Not Want American Boots Or Any Other Nation On Nigerian Soil. American, British or French, Russian, Chinese military aid – financial or hardware – Yes! Foreign forces, No to American or Israeli Military under whatever pretext in Nigeria. At 93 years, in my wheelchair, I will organise resistance against any foreign boots on Nigerian soil as I did in 1960 against the Anglo-Nigerian Military Pact!

State Police – men and women? I welcome the establishment of State

Police, men and women to keep law and order in our towns and cities, our villages and on our roads as well.

The Yoruba tribal activist, Sunday Igboho is said to have been accorded amnesty and allowed to return to Nigeria. He has not changed his position of ethnic self-determination of the Yorubas. How do you view such agitations in Nigeria’s current political disposition?    

I have very great faith in ONE Nigeria, great and indivisible.

Thank you very much, Learned Silk Sir.