For the records: Building a future with women and girls in Nigeria: Reimagining access to justice for all

A keynote address by Hon. Justice Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju, jsc, cfr, fciarb at the 25th anniversary of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) held on December 17, 2025 at Sheraton Hotel and Towers Ikeja, Lagos State.

OPENING PROTOCOLS AND TRIBUTE TO WARDC

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your Excellences, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Representatives of Civil Society Organizations, Leaders of the Bar and the Bench, Advocates of women’s rights, And our dear celebrants the remarkable team of the Women’s Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC).

Good morning.

It gives me great pleasure and I feel highly honoured to be part of the celebration of 25 years of WWARDC’s unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and the dignity of women and girls in Nigeria.

This remarkable institution conceived and born in 2000 by Dr. Abiola Akiyode- Afolabi with courage, clarity of purpose, and an unshakeable belief that women deserve justice has grown into one of the most respected voices for gender equality, human rights, and institutional reform across Africa.

The theme of this celebration is, “Building a Future with Women and Girls in Nigeria: Reimagining Access to Justice for All,” is both timely and visionary. It calls us to reflect on:

• The current state of women and girls in our justice system;
• The structural inequalities that limit their full participation; and
• The transformative future we must collectively build where access to

justice is not a privilege for the powerful but a right guaranteed for all.

THE IMPERATIVE OF THE MOMENT

We gather at a moment when the world is grappling with profound political, economic, technological, and social changes. Yet amid these changes, one truth remains constant: A society cannot progress when half of its population is left behind, unheard, unprotected, or undervalued.

Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment. We are a nation rich in talent, culture, resilience, and brilliance especially the brilliance of our women and girls. Yet, too many still wake up each day navigating systems that do not fully protect them, structures that do not hear them, and institutions that do not serve them equally.

To build a future that works for everyone, including women and girls in Nigeria, we must start by reimagining access to justice not as a privilege, not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental promise of nationhood.

Despite constitutional promises, legislative advances, and institutional reforms, women and girls in Nigeria continue to face serious challenges when seeking justice. While many discriminatory laws have been repealed, discriminatory practices rooted in custom, social norms, and institutional culture still impede actualization of women’s rights.

WARDC’s TRANSFORMATIVE WORK

It is against these realities that the achievements of WARDC shine even more brightly. In 25 years, WARDC has:

• Provided legal aid to thousands of women;
• Trained judges, magistrates, police officers, and community leaders;
• Successfully advocated the passage and implementation of the VAPP Act;
• Conducted groundbreaking research shaping national policy;
• Empowered communities with knowledge of rights;

Championed gender budgeting and accountability;

• Built networks of male allies who understand that women’s rights strengthen not threaten our households, communities, and nation.

WARDC has played a crucial role in shifting the conversation from charity to rights, from sympathy to justice, and from token inclusion to institutional transformation. For these contributions, the nation is grateful. In spite of these long strides, there is still a lot of work to be done. As we say, it is not yet UHURU.

JUSTICE MUST BEGIN WITH SAFETY

A society cannot thrive when half its population live in fear—fear of gender-based violence, fear of stigma for reporting, fear of not being believed, or worse, fear of being blamed. This is still the reality for domestically abused wives, sexually assaulted young girls and sexually harassed women at the workplace.

Despite the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act), enforcement remains uneven. Survivors frequently experience:

• Secondary victimization, by the family, society and defence lawyers
• Poorly trained investigators and prosecutors cause low rate of convictions.
• Case withdrawal under pressure of social stigma

A woman should not need to: be married, be tall, fair and beautiful, be brave and have affluent parents or carry pepper spray the size of a fire extinguisher just to feel safe in her own community.

If a woman reports violence, the first response should be:

“How can we help?”

Not: “What were you wearing?” What time of the day did this happen?

Girls who speak out face shame before they find justice. Women who seek divorce or custody of their children often face hostility, even from the systems meant to protect them. Let me give you a typical example from case law.

In NWOSU v. NWOSU (2012) 8 NWLR Pt. 1301 Pg. 1, the High Court had decided that it was improper and unlawful for a mother to have taken the children away without the husband’s permission when the husband drove her away from their matrimonial home. The Court held that the mother had no equal legal right or indeed equal interest and right in the children of the marriage and made an order compelling her to return the children to her “matrimonial” home.

The trial Judge held that it was improper for the four children of the marriage to be brought up by their less affluent mother, as a single parent, when their maternal grandmother also had no husband. His Lordship also held that since both parents were not from the same ethnic group, he would not give an order for the children to be brought up by the mother who had an alien culture from their father.

The Court of Appeal held as follows:

“I have no hesitation in arriving at the conclusion that these declaration of the rights of the parents in relation to these children were based on a wrong premise which is that the rights of the very rich father are superior to the rights of the less affluent mother who is from a different tribe. There is discrimination on the basis of tribe, sex and financial means. Each parent has a right to take away and keep the children pending custody hearing”.

Reimagining justice means ensuring that the first response to a woman in distress is support, not suspicion; protection, not prejudice. A system that shames survivors, delays cases, or pressures women into silence is not justice—it is harm. Justice should be trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and delivered with dignity because dignity is free. We can afford it.

 

WOMEN ARE NOT WILTING LILIES

Don’t get me wrong, Nigeria is full of exceptionally strong, brave, brilliant women and girls. You see them everywhere:

• running multi-billion-naira businesses, running small stalls in the markets, the local corner shops etc. leading communities, both as unrecognized local aunties, politicians who become senators and ministers.
• studying – Nigerian women Lawyers are as many as the male lawyers produced every year. Ditto for women Doctors and Engineers.
• innovating – solving problems their governments haven’t gotten to yet and holding families together with the power of pure resilience, multi-tasking career, husband and children. Typical greeting by a Nigerian woman to her husband or child while making a phone call begins with “Have you eaten?”

Yet, despite this energy and brilliance, too many still face barriers that would frustrate even the most patient NGO program officer. You know the type—calm on the outside, like Dr. Akiyode Afolabi but inside already drafting a strongly worded email to the offending institution.

JUSTICE MUST BE AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, UNDERSTANDABLE AND HOLISTIC

Majority of women and girls are in the rural communities. The law cannot serve women if: Courtrooms are too far. Justice must meet women where they are. Justice cannot stand still, it must travel. Innovations such as mobile courts will make for shorter time lines. Community legal clinics, safe reporting hubs, technology-driven case tracking, and survivor centered services must become the norm. Women and girls should not have to travel miles, beg for help, or explain their pain repeatedly just to be heard.

I was at the International Association of Women Judges Conference (IAWJ) once, and one of the speakers told us that the victim had travelled for two (2) days to report a rape. By the time she got to the Police Station at the next town, she had forgiven the offender upon reflection and out of pure exhaustion.

• legal fees are too high and women abandon the pursuit of their rights because they just cannot afford it. • procedures are too complicated, and most of the time the civil and criminal process takes years. We must simplify the process and make legal representation affordable

JUSTICE MUST INCLUDE ECONOMIC JUSTICE

A woman who is economically dependent has limited freedom and thus fewer path ways to justice. Thus, access to justice must include: • Property rights enforcement by the Courts in inheritance and just division of the assets in divorce proceedings. inheritance justice enforced by the Courts and not one dependant on the whims and caprice of “uncles” • workplace protections from sextortion and sexual harassment  • equal opportunities includes work places where “gender equality” means equal pay for equal work.

When women are economically empowered, they are better able to assert their rights and protect their children’s futures. True justice means a legal system that understands the realities of women in rural communities, urban settlements, IDP camps, markets, schools, and workplaces.

JUSTICE MUST BE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN

No legal reform will succeed without cultural and religious shifts that advance women’s rights. Access to justice is not only a legal question, it is a social one. Families, communities, religious institutions, and traditional rulers shape norms that either open the doors of justice or shut them.

Customary arbitration and traditional institutions remain the first point of justice for most Nigerians. Traditional leaders must be empowered and expected to uphold women’s rights consistent with constitutional guarantees. Culture evolves.

Justice must guide that evolution. We must involve: • traditional rulers • religious leaders • parents and guardians • boys and men • civil society • the media. Changing laws is not enough; we must change mindsets.

INSTITUTIONS MUST BE BOTH INDEPENDENT AND GENDER RESPONSIVE

Let’s talk about our formal institutions: The Courts, Police, and regulatory agencies. During my tenure as President of NAWJN, we pushed and got the Nigerian Police to have a special victims unit in all Divisional Police Station in the country head by a specially trained, preferable female senior police officer. It is now called the Gender Desk Unit. The officers of the gender desk unit must specialize and receive continuous training. They must be able to collect data and there must be stronger accountability mechanisms guiding them.

ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY

As a Justice of the Supreme Court, I speak today not only as a woman but as a custodian of our Constitution. The judiciary has a sacred duty: To be the last hope of the oppressed, not the last obstacle before justice.

We must: • Interpret laws in ways that expand, not restrict rights • Ensure speedy dispensation of justice at all hierarchy of Courts • Guarantee equal protection under the law

The judiciary must also continue to champion progressive jurisprudence on: • Gender-based violence • Inheritance and property rights • Labour and workplace discrimination • Child marriage and harmful practices Human trafficking

Our jurisprudence at all levels must champion as provided in Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy which all organs of the executive, legislature and judiciary are to pursue in order to enhance the principles of democracy and social justice. Let me say clearly, girls and women’s rights are not special privileges; they are constitutional guarantees.

ROLE OF THE LEGISLATURE AND EXECUTIVE

The work before us also requires alignment across government institutions. The Legislature must: • Repeal remaining discriminatory provisions • Harmonize State and Federal laws • Strengthen oversight over justice sector agencies • Adequately fund legal aid and social welfare institutions

The Executive must: • Ensure operational independence of justice agencies • Implement gender-responsive budgeting • Strengthen the police and their forensic investigation capacity • Expand shelters and response centers • Build family courts and child-sensitive reporting units • Invest in civic education on rights. It is time for an all embracing government approach to gender justice.

TECHNOLOGY MUST BECOME A TOOL FOR INCLUSION

Digital platforms can: • Expand legal aid to the rural communities and the IDP’s • Provide evidence-preservation tools • Enable online dispute resolution (ODR) • Connect remote communities to pro bono lawyers • Facilitate anonymous reporting • Technology can democratize justice if used intentionally.

LIMITED LEGAL AWARENESS

Majority of the educated population and the uneducated mass do not know their rights under the Constitution or under landmark laws such as: • Violence Against Persons Prohibition – VAPP Act • Child Rights Act • National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons – NAPTIP Act • Administration of Criminal Justice Act • Labour laws protecting against discrimination • Inheritance and property rights laws. Knowledge is the first step to justice. Ignorance is the first barrier to it.

JUSTICE MUST PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION

For girls in Nigeria, justice should begin early—through: • education that empowers, • schools that are safe, • mentorship that inspires, • and communities that believe in their potential and encourage them to pursue, overtake and become the best they can be.

Let’s raise girls who know their rights and boys who respect those rights. Because if we don’t teach the next generations, we will spend the next 30 years doing the same advocacy over and over again. Girls are not just beneficiaries of justice; they are future leaders of it. Let’s prepare girls not just to be beneficiaries of justice, but to be future leaders of it. Let’s go to the primary and secondary schools and engage the girls, NOW!!!

On a lighter note, reimagining justice means ensuring a future where every woman can walk into a Police Station and be treated like a citizen not like someone who interrupted the officer’s lunch. It means a future where access to justice does not require a PhD, a miracle, or a distant uncle who “knows somebody who knows somebody”.

We are here to reimagine access to justice for all—and as Nigerians, we know reimagining is one of our strengths. After all, we reimagine NEPA without any power outage every day. We reimagine potholes as speed control measures. We reimagine fuel scarcity as an opportunity for bonding at the filling station. If we can do all that, surely, we can reimagine a justice system that works for everyone, particularly women and girls.

CONCLUSION

As WARDC marks 25 years, let this anniversary serve not only as a celebration but as a renewal of commitment not only by WARDC but all of us of a vision for the future. I challenge all of us judges, lawmakers, policymakers, traditional rulers, civil society, men, women, and young people to rise boldly to this task.

Let us build: • A justice system that hears every voice • A society that protects every woman • An economy that values every girl • And a future that fears no discrimination. A Nigeria where every woman and girl: • feels safe in her home, in the schools, on the street, and online, • can report violence without fear or intimidation • can navigate the legal system without barriers, where police station and courts are places of healing and not trauma • can pursue her dreams without discrimination, • and can access justice not someday, but every day.

OUR COLLECTIVE VISION

Reimagining access to justice is not only a legal or a justice sector mandate, it is a national one. It is a commitment to building a Nigeria where the brilliance of men, women boys and girls is not dimmed by injustice but illuminated by opportunity.

This is not a dream, it is an obligation. • Violence against women is treated as a breach of national security. • Technology expands rights, not exploitation. • Rural women enjoy the same rights as urban women. • Customary institutions evolve to protect not diminish women’s dignity. • Economic empowerment accompanies legal empowerment. • A girl born today does not inherit our struggles, only our victories.

May we leave this gathering today with a collective pledge: To reimagine, rebuild, and reaffirm a Nigeria where justice is not selective, where rights are not negotiable, and where every woman and girl can walk with dignity, confidence, and hope.

To WARDC on this 25th anniversary. We honour your journey, we celebrate your impact, and we commit to walking with you into a future of justice for all. Thank you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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