In a rare convergence of law, media, and tourism, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ in Ekiti State has secured both moral and financial backing from a renowned legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun to stage a public lecture on the proposed Special Seats Bill for Women in Nigeria.
The lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, in Ado Ekiti.
The support from the Legal luminary came up when NAWOJ, led by the Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre, paid a courtesy visit to the senior advocate at his country home in Ikere-Ekiti.
The visit, initially planned to brief him on NAWOJ’s civic enlightenment drive, quickly turned into a strategy session.
Moved by the journalists’ presentation on the bill seeking to create additional reserved seats for women in the National and State Assemblies, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria immediately pledged to support the public lecture.
During the interactive session, the legal icon described the Special Seats Bill as “not a favour to women, but a repair to democracy.”
“For too long, we have run a democracy with one leg. You cannot claim to have a representative government when half of your population is systematically underrepresented. The Special Seats Bill is not charity; it is arithmetic. It is correcting a structural defect that has kept our nation limping since 1999” he said.
He added: “Law is the conscience of society. If our Constitution says there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex, yet our parliaments look like men’s clubs, then the law is being mocked
“Every time a man says ‘women are not ready,’ I ask him to show me the law that said readiness is a precondition for citizenship. Women pay tax, women vote, women are jailed under the same Penal Code. To deny them legislative equity is to run a taxation-without-representation system. That is not democracy”, the legal icon said.
In his submission, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre,described the visit as “a meeting of conscience and culture.” He commended the legal icon for “extending his jurisprudence beyond the courtroom into the newsroom and the town hall.”
“What you have done today is tourism in its purest form . You have shown Nigeria that Ekiti produces not just hills and waterfalls, but men of law who understand that social justice is the best tourist attraction.
“When women are empowered to legislate, they protect heritage, they budget for museums, they defend our forests. Your support for NAWOJ is support for sustainable tourism,” Ojo-Lanre said.
The DG also revealed that the Bureau had just documented new eco-tourism sites around Ikere Ekiti , some communities and would be listing them in the state’s heritage inventory.
“We discovered ancient caves and escarpments that tell the story of our people’s resilience. It is fitting that we announce this in the home of a man whose life has been about resilience and justice.
“We will work with your foundation to ensure these sites are preserved, and that women especially women journalists tell their story to the world ” he added.
The state Chairperson of NAWOJ, Adewumi Ademiju said the legal icon’s intervention had changed the scale of their advocacy.
“ When senior members of the Bar say the Special Seats Bill is constitutional and necessary, it silences the whisperers who call it ‘un-African.’ You have shown that true legal greatness is not in how many cases you win, but in how many voices you amplify” she declared.
She added: “From Community/ grassroots development efforts to scholarships for indigent students, and now to this lifeline for women journalists, you have written your name in the hearts of communities. NAWOJ Ekiti pledges to use the public lecture to educate market women, students, traditional rulers and all the relevant stakeholders”.