An historic phase has emerged in Nigeria’s legal system, with four women occupying key leadership positions in top institutions across the judiciary, legal education, appellate justice, and the legal profession.
The four women currently leading Nigeria’s legal sector are:
- President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem;
- Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun;
- Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote;
- The newly elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN).
1. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem – President of the Court of Appeal
Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem is the President of the Court of Appeal, Nigeria’s second-highest court. Appointed on 5 March 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting president of the Court of Appeal, after the retirement of Zainab Bulkachuwa, her appointment was confirmed by the Senate on 11 June.
As head of the appellate court, she occupies one of the most important positions in the country’s judicial system, overseeing a court that hears appeals from the federal and state high courts, as well as other courts and tribunals as provided by law.
Her role places her at the center of some of Nigeria’s most significant legal matters, including constitutional questions, electoral disputes, and other major appeals.
Born June 13, 1957, Dongban-Mensem has an LL.B and LL.M from Ahmadu Bello University. She also has a postgraduate diploma from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London.
She founded Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand (KRSD), a road safety organisation, after her first son, Samson Kwapda’as Dongban, died in a road accident.
2. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun – Chief Justice of Nigeria
Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun holds the most senior role, making her one of the most influential women in the country’s legal system.
She became Chief Justice of Nigeria on August 23, 2024, succeeding Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
Born on May 7, 1958 in Jos, Plateau State, Justice Kekere-Ekun studied law at the University of Lagos and later obtained a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
She began her legal career in private practice before joining the Lagos State Judiciary, where she served as a magistrate and later rose through the judicial ranks.
In 2004, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal, serving in several divisions before her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2013.
Her rise to the country’s highest court was itself historic, as she became the second woman to become Nigeria’s Chief Justice after Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar. Kekere-Ekun is also the first woman from Nigeria’s Southwest geopolitical zone to become Chief Justice of Nigeria.
As Chief Justice, she also chairs the National Judicial Council, a body with a key role in the administration and independence of Nigeria’s judiciary.
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3. Dr Olugbemisola Odusote – Director-General of the Nigerian Law School
Dr. Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote made history in 2026 when she became the first woman to serve as Director-General of the Nigerian Law School since the institution was established in 1962.
Her appointment was another breakthrough for women in Nigeria’s legal profession.
A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, where she obtained her LL.B. and LL.M. degrees, she later earned a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
Her association with the Nigerian Law School dates back to 2001, when she joined the institution as a lecturer. She subsequently rose through the ranks, serving in various academic and administrative capacities, including as head of academics and deputy director-general.
4. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN – President of the Nigerian Bar Association
The newest addition to this historic group is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, who was elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association in July 2026.
Her victory makes her the 33rd president of the NBA and only the second woman to lead the association after Priscilla Kuye, who became the first woman to serve as NBA President when she held the position between 1991 and 1992.
Badejo-Okusanya studied English and Law at the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002. She was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2025.
Her professional career has spanned private legal practice, justice-sector reform, and leadership within the legal profession.
Badejo-Okusanya’s emergence has consequently been described as a historic moment for the legal profession and for women’s representation in leadership within the Nigerian Bar.
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