The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, has begun reconciliation efforts aimed at healing divisions within the Bar following the 2026 national officers’ election, declaring that her leadership would serve all Nigerian lawyers irrespective of whom they supported during the election.
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Badejo-Okusanya, who emerged as the 33rd President of the NBA following the July 2026 national election, said she had already commenced consultations with senior members and elders of the Bar, particularly in the Western Region, as part of efforts to address concerns over perceived regional divisions following the election.
Speaking in an interview at the weekend, the NBA President stressed that the election had ended and that her responsibility was now to lead the entire association rather than any particular bloc, tendency or group that supported her candidacy.
“I have no desire to be President of only people that supported me,” she said, adding that she considered herself President of the entire Bar and was already working towards rebuilding unity within the association.
Her comments followed questions about perceived polarisation within sections of the Bar after the NBA presidential election, including concerns surrounding divisions within Egbe Amofin in the South-West.
Badejo-Okusanya expressed confidence that the differences could be resolved through continuing engagement, saying that reconciliation efforts were already yielding results and that the association would, in time, move beyond the disagreements generated by the election.
The NBA President also outlined the direction of her administration, saying its programmes would revolve around the “Members First” philosophy contained in her campaign manifesto.
According to her, the central objective is to reposition the NBA as an association whose activities have direct and measurable benefits for practising lawyers, particularly in relation to their professional opportunities, welfare and quality of practice.
She said the administration intends to develop programmes capable of helping lawyers “earn better, live better, and practise better,” describing that objective as the foundation on which its programmes would be built.
Rather than attempting to undertake every possible initiative during its tenure, Badejo-Okusanya said her leadership would concentrate on establishing a foundation upon which the NBA could become increasingly member-oriented, with its programmes assessed by how effectively they improve the professional and economic circumstances of members.
The emphasis on members’ welfare has also featured in her engagements since assuming office. Earlier in September, chairmen of NBA branches in the Federal Capital Territory met with the President and raised issues concerning members’ welfare, branch administration and the effective functioning of branches. Badejo-Okusanya assured them of her commitment to addressing the concerns while both sides pledged continuing dialogue and cooperation.
The NBA President also addressed controversy surrounding comments made during a recent engagement with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, concerning citizens recording police officers while they perform their duties.
Badejo-Okusanya said reports suggesting that she had made her comments in response to the IGP were inaccurate, explaining that she had spoken before the police chief and was therefore not reacting to his remarks.
She maintained that accountability mechanisms could protect both citizens and police officers and pointed to body cameras as one mechanism capable of encouraging responsible conduct during encounters between law-enforcement officers and members of the public.
Her position, she explained, was that officers who know their official conduct is being objectively recorded may be more conscious of their actions, while recordings can equally provide evidence where allegations are subsequently made against police personnel.
The NBA President, however, acknowledged the IGP’s concern that the recognised right of citizens to record police officers performing public duties could itself be abused.
She said the existence of a judicial decision permitting citizens to record officers in the course of their duties should not be interpreted as permission to harass officers or indiscriminately film them in circumstances unrelated to the performance of their official functions.
The issue has recently generated public debate following the IGP’s expression of concern about the manner in which some individuals record police officers and use the footage for social-media content. The broader legal debate has centred on balancing citizens’ ability to document official conduct with the need not to interfere with legitimate police operations.
Badejo-Okusanya said her administration would continue engaging relevant stakeholders while pursuing reconciliation within the Bar and implementing its member-centred agenda.
Her early engagements have extended beyond internal NBA matters. On September 17, she attended her first meeting of the Body of Benchers in her capacity as NBA President and was appointed to an ad hoc committee concerning appeals from the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.
She has also led an NBA delegation to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission headquarters in Abuja, where the association discussed law-enforcement practices and other issues affecting lawyers and the administration of justice with EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede.
For Badejo-Okusanya, however, the defining focus of the administration remains the welfare of lawyers and the restoration of unity after the national election.
She said members should expect a clear direction centred on improving their professional and economic circumstances while building an NBA in which lawyers across different regions, branches and electoral camps can see themselves as part of one association.
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