Lawyers from Nigeria

"We don't have all the time in the world with oil. We have to use oil while it makes sense to do so."

"Hate speech is a specie of terrorism."

"No economy can tolerate the level of corruption seen in Nigeria without consequences."

"We all know that Nigerian jollof rice is the best anywhere. We beat the Ghanaians and Senegalese hands down."

"Here in Nigeria, what makes the news is conflict between the executive and the legislature."

"There must be more rigorous enforcement of rules promoting transparency in the international banking and financial systems, especially more stringent KYC rules on customer identity, source of wealth, and even country of origin."

"Corruption and illicit financial flows are different. But they really must be twinned. This is because, for practical purposes, it is an eminently more sensible approach to treat most of the sources of illicit financial flows as corrupt activity, within a broader use of the term."

"Tracing, freezing, and return of stolen assets has proved in many cases to be exceptionally difficult for most African countries."

"There is no wisdom of man that can change men or change nations; it is the power and wisdom of God that can."

"We in Nigeria have seen just how difficult it is to get back stolen assets from the international financial system, such as banks that ought not have received those funds in the first place if even the most routine questions were asked."

"It doesn't matter where one starts from; it doesn't matter at all where you start from. It is how committed you are, how determined you are, and how hardworking you are that will ultimately make the difference."

"The carnal nature of man is that he places his tribe above others, but the only basis for the power and unity of the church is that there is no Jew or Gentile."

"I am so pleased and happy, and I believe that the Almighty God has a plan for our nation by putting us in strategic positions in politics, business, and everywhere."

"The fundamental for the sustainable growth of Nigeria is not in the hydro-carbon industry but in agriculture."

"With 10 per cent of Nigeria's total land mass, 80 per cent of which is arable, Niger state symbolises the hope and greatness of Nigeria and has potential to feed the continent."

"Nigeria is still grappling with the negative consequences of the use of opacity by senior members of government and their cronies between 1993 and 1998, awarding themselves juicy contracts in the extractive industry."

"An active and vibrant railway system confers many benefits on the society."

"Railway network will support efforts to diversify the economy and enhance our export potentials."

"Any nation that does not emphasize integrity will always fail."

"The values of integrity and hard work are necessary for the development of our nation."

"You don't have to cheat or steal to be successful in life, but you must be ready to convert your challenges to opportunity."

"If people are stealing the resources of this nation, if people are taking bribes - if judges or persons in authority, whether they are judges or whoever they may be in government, ministers, whoever, if they are taking bribes - it attacks the fundament of our existence as a society."

"The most important thing is that we are on the right path, and we will not deviate from it, even in the face of strong temptation to choose temporary gains over long-term benefits."

"Our vision is for a country that grows what it eats and produces what it consumes. It is for a country that no longer has to import petroleum products and develop a lucrative petrochemical industry."

"Our diversity as a people united is also our potential to transform our large deposits of mineral resources and use same for national development."

"If the church says we will not accept you here or that we will expose you if you are stealing the resources of the country or stealing the resources of a private company or other establishment, where you work, then we would not have the type of problem that we have in this country. If only the church does so - just the church."

"Many would say the reason why they steal is because they want to have an arsenal for future political exploits. It is a lie. It is greed. In any case, even if you want to do that, you have no right to do it."

"If the church says you are not allowed to steal, and we will ostracize you in our midst if you did, if what a man has does not measure up to what he has, if we found that a man has more money than he should have, if a man is earning a salary of a civil servant or a public servant and he has houses everywhere, we have to hold him to account."

"If this government is doing the right thing by fighting corruption, the Church should support it."

"In stabilizing the macroeconomic environment, we have focused on aligning fiscal with monetary policy and nudging the central bank toward the objective of more market-determined exchange rates."

"It is not possible for one tribe to dominate another based on the way God has structured the country."

"The reason we have Christian president and Muslim vice president or Muslim president and Christian vice president is to have balance."

"If there is one person in Nigeria that believes that petroleum prices should not go up by one naira, it is President Buhari."

"Great economies and great nations, prosperity, and abundance of nations and communities are created by men and not spirits."

"The truth is that many, if not most, nations of the world are made up of different peoples - and cultures and beliefs and religions - who find themselves thrown together by circumstance."

"The most successful of the nations of the world are those who do not fall into the lure of secession but who, through thick and thin, forge unity in diversity."

"I understand the law of sowing and reaping. It is a spiritual law that has tremendous physical implications. Every time that we delay or frustrate what we can do today, leaving it till tomorrow, we hold back the future. We, too, must reap what we have sown by experiencing delays."

"No matter how much you pray or fast, our country cannot grow without some of us deciding to do the hard work that makes nations work."

"The quality and quantum of potential investors in Africa is huge."

"The most important thing for Africa is that whoever wants to invest in our countries should start in manufacturing."

"We in Africa must prepare our economies in that direction that attracts such huge and qualitative investments. It is for us to push, and we must push."

"It is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence, especially because when we make these kinds of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property, we are no longer in control."

"Nigeria's unity is one for which enough blood has been spilled and many hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. Many have paid for the unity of this country with their lives, and it will be wrong of us, as men and women of goodwill in this generation, to toy with those sacrifices that have been made."

"We are committed to a continuous engagement with our people to explain government policies, receive advice and criticism."

"As we move to diversify our economy, we are particularly aware that we need oil to get out of oil."

"It will be wrong of us to approach our grievances by threatening to disobey the laws or by threatening the integrity of our nation."

"Africa Rising is as much about improving standards of governance as it is about an increasingly confident youths and civil society. It is also about businessmen and women who are stepping beyond national borders and going global."

"Africa cannot afford to underestimate the power of technology to fast-track the continent's rise. Emerging technologies have played extraordinary roles in every aspect of the continent's most touted successes."

"Many of the ethnic and other parochial tensions that have tended to create insecurity and outright conflict, time and time again, are largely as a result of failure to deliberately undertake nation-building efforts."

"Economic growth is not sustainable without nation-building and, even of greater importance, state building."

"We are in a democracy and there is a process by which things can be done and that process is the one where you bring forward amendments to the National Assembly and they will do whatever is considered useful in the circumstance."

"The Diaspora in the UK is particularly important because this is the largest diaspora community in the world. So really if you are talking to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians for anyone with any sense at all it’s a very important community to address. So it’s representative, it’s the way to go. The Diaspora here is also very active at home,"

"Don’t just look for a good wife. Also, look for a good life!"

"It shows a very deep-seated poverty mentality when your specs for a wife are things that can be done by modern electrical appliances. Gone are the days when women were expected to be naked, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. Do catch up with the 21st Century! Leave BC (Before Christ) and join the rest of us in AD (After Death)."

"Never attack your wife for saying your mouth stinks. Others may say it smells nice, but she's the one who visits it regularly. — On President Buhari's comment on his wife "belonging to the kitchen"."

"If we [lawyers] are corruption-free, the whole country will be corruption-free."

"Speak up against those who cannot speak for themselves. Let’s speak in the language of the youths. Visit schools visit hospitals. What assistance do we offer those who cannot help themselves? We should assist rape victims. We should be the voice of the society."

"The event today has categorically proved that people who attain the age of 70 years and above are not brain-dead."

"It is imperative that the younger people should be made aware that values are constants which must be demonstrated in all our activities."

"Legal practice has become globalized. And I advocate lawyers without borders and like doctors without borders so that you can practice anywhere in the world."

"We must have an easy relationship between the lawyers and the law enforcement agencies."

"And it is important for the Supreme Court itself to engage in self-criticism, self-awareness, self-assessment to address the loss of confidence of the people in the Supreme Court. That is where our salvation lies."

"If anything goes wrong with the Supreme Court, we are in trouble. If anything goes wrong with the court, we are in trouble."

"We should stop applications for Judgeship (that's what is going on now). And it should not be based on where your father is or who your mother is or where you come from. It should be purely knowledge and merit."

"I always say that not all judges are corrupt there are some of them who labour night and day to give up their best and to make sure that judgments are based on evidence received and the applicable laws."

"The judiciary has no alternative than to defeat the monster of corruption for Nigerians to trust the judiciary and have full confidence in Nigeria’s justice system."

"I have played my part and I believe it is time to bow out,"

"When you are a teacher, you are performing before an audience – most are younger than you are, but still, it is an audience in a private forum. But if you are going to perform before an audience you must be very sure of your script and what you are going to impart."

"I always knew that the risk of running the business in Nigeria is high but sometimes you do not know to what extent, until my products were counterfeited."

"It is very tough and this is about perspective. My prayer is that as a nation, we would learn the lessons in this season and we would not forget what we have learnt."

""It is important for you to marry someone who buys into what you are doing.”"

"I struggled with unforgiveness for a year."

"“Be true to who you are on your own journey. It makes the road less traveled be easier to enjoy”."

"“There's a place for talking and criticism. But there's also a place to let our ACTIONS do the talking!”"

"“Strong nations are built on SOLID HOMES not big houses”."

"“Many men have children, but not many children have 'Fathers'. Age releases to you reproductive skills Fatherhood requires LEADERSHIP skills”."

"Everyone including YOU suffers when you refuse to BE all & DO all you can."

"When you don't know where you are going in life (No Clear Destination), you don't need direction... you need Divine Revelation."

"A nation is not defined by its borders or the boundaries of its land mass Rather, a nation is defined by adverse people who have been unified by a cause and a value system and who are committed to a vision for the type of society they wish to live in and give to the future generations to come."

"Our nation is ripe with a multitude of successful people, who have achieved much for themselves with little impact on anyone else."

"We must be the ones to re-define the world class standards of excellence"

"What we need now is a nation of great people who live to positively impact others and build enduring legacies."

"If the path you are walking today won't lead you to your desired destination, then you are STROLLING."

"In the innovation age customer experience is key. Your impression defines their expression."

"Be a solution provider and not a part of the problem to be solved."

"Despite the turbulence our nation has experienced, we WILL arrive safely and without incident!."

"Real Fathers make a positive impact on their generation, and so give the next generation the advantage of a better nation to live in"

"Direction is only necessary when your destination is certain but the path to get there isn't clear to you."

"We must see the new Nigeria The Nigeria We Want we must accept personal responsibility to build it."

"Houses are built brick-by-brick. HOMEs are built word-by-word. Houses don't build themselves. So YOU must build your home."

"Many people read History books but it takes just a few people to LEAD the cause that will shape the course of HISTORY."

"Great nations are built by great people, not just successful people."

"If your Idea cannot change the industry, you have added no value."

"Without Purpose, LIVING is downgraded to Breathing a boring routine of inhaling oxygen."

"We need to adopt a set of common values and be ready to live out those values."

"We must stand up for equality, justice and human dignity because it is vital to each and every one of us all – woman, man and child"

"We are using this opportunity to remind them that it is the constitutional responsibility of the government under chapter two of the constitution to provide security for the people. It is as if they are helpless, let them resign and let us know that we don’t have a government"

"The need to end discrimination against women in Nigeria and close the existing gender gap also necessitated the birth of WELA to assist in efforts to stop the abuses against women and dismantle all the gender barriers that penalise women and girls in Nigeria"

"In times like this, we all must come together to educate ourselves and our youth in basic human rights. These rights were set forth by the United Nations in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The purpose of the Human Rights walk is to unite all people in these rights and to make them a reality."

"You need to know your human rights because a population ignorant of its rights cannot demand or defend them. Yet, few in the world know even two or three of their 30 rights."

"The ideology underpinning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, is a simple yet, profound one which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal with dignity and rights."

"We advocate for everyone to stand up for their rights and those of others. For this reason WELA stand for equality and Justice through human right education"

"“Money is not an end, Value is the end. Focus on adding value to the society and money will follow”."

"“I followed my passion”."

"“Finding my passion has really helped me, I go to work not thinking I am working”."

"I'm a woman of faith, but what I found in Nigeria is that a lot of people have increasingly been driven into this crazy love for worshipping men instead of God."

"And a lot of men are turning this spiritual institution into commerce and they are using it for personal gains."

"I am a student of literature and history. I believe that art is a powerful tool for us in our society to use, to depict all the things that are going on, and a possible escape for some of us who are traumatized by the things we see in Nigeria."

"So in directing over the past 10 years, I understand how to make a connection with people. This is because what’s often lacking in a lot of productions is the ability to connect. So, once the emotions are not there and people can’t feel what you are saying, you have lost the audience."

"The resources we have as a Nation is not what is critical, what is critical is the development of the human mind. The creative mind is the most important resource tool in any nation."

"There is no laziness in any business, that wants to succeed."

"Even though your family and friends discourage you, and you know where you're going, keep your focus and surround yourself with positive minds."

"You're bound to meet a lot of stumbling blocks, and you’re bound to fail at certain things, but the number of times you fail is not the issue, it is the number of times you pick yourself up, dust yourself and continue your journey."

"Relevance itself is wealth, it's a quality and a value. Time buys you relevance, time buys you greatness, time buys you money. So you must stay in the vision and with time, you would reap the benefits."

"“When a girl is educated, she can read and write, she is aware of the law, and knows love. When a girl is educated, she is aware of her potential; she can read about Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organisation.”"

"“Imagine if Stella Adedavor, a medical doctor, and Nana Asamoah, a poet, were never educated.”"

"Let us all be our brother’s keeper, whenever we notice an abuse, let us speak out, let us all stand up to help the victims of abuse and stand up to eradicate it in our communities."

"Our girls are precious and should be handled with care."

"Empowering a woman means empowering a nation, I advise that you all add value to your homes."

"Don’t deceive yourself to think that politics will produce all the answers. What is going to bring a change in this season are women who are way ahead of their political happening but key into the spirit to hear what God is saying and they obey those illogical instructions."

"I think we should spare a thought and pray that it is also the set time for those who have the home and the children but have no food and no money."

"Women should be seen as custodians of a prosperous Nigeria and must be given priority in the scheme of things, especially in decision-making."

"The powerful force that unite us is our human dignity... I beg you as we move on today and I urge you that we all have potential in us to ask ,to ask that we don't see the other person as the other but we are because they are,The concept of the other does not make us understand each other, so let's ask that we see the other person as we. That is one step that each of us can take, then we can seek peace but above all as the drum of war is now ringing let us knock at the door of peace"."

""It is the ability when we look at issues of international peace and justice and freedom that we remember that dialogue does not hurt, that we can engage that we don't have enemies, people can disagree with us, but they are not our enemies at all and that we can make allies"."

"“We celebrate today because there are women and men who have made it possible,”"

"Every immigrant have its purpose that it is, they fill some gaps to improve the situation in Europe and also get shelter and security in terms of war situations."

"stand up, shake it up, and keep going."

"At one point in life, we are migrants or refugees, if not us, our great grand-parents. What is important is that everyone is treated with the dignity of a human person."

"The future of human rights is optimistic. If I look back to fifty years ago, before the declaration of human rights, and look forward to what is happening now, it is true that we made progress. Humanity is dynamic and continuously changing, for example, the entertainment and advertising industry is totally changing our mindsets. I think that human rights laws are making a lot of work but the basic challenge should be NGOs, community-based organisations, inter-governmental agencies. We should not think about human rights in terms of what can we gain from them, but in terms of what we can give to them."

"The possibility of establishing a positive and constructive dialogue is that You do not fight ideology and extremists with weapons. We cannot defeat them with drones, I think we can do more than that. We have to get other strategies and tactics."

"I had a focus. What is your focus? ... You will be tested. What should you do? We don’t know. You are going into a new world order that you may be defining."

"Spread your wings. Soar like an eagle. May the wind be behind you. May the sun be in front of you on your face and may you fly."

"I don’t think that the word leader has to do with a particular talent or a particular field.A leader is a leader, and this cuts across in different ways."

"We live in a world where women are abused daily and are unable to speak up. One out of four women experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. This crime can take place at anytime and can happen to anyone regardless of tribe, religion or social class. Sadly, the society’s response to this heinous crime has led victims to believe that silence is the best option. However, Speaking up is our greatest weapon in this fight against sexual violence."

"Despite the overwhelming pushback against gender equality, I encourage young women and girls to remain resilient and hopeful for the holistic change we are working to create."

"I anticipate a day in my lifetime when women and girls can thrive and take up space in all socioeconomic and political spheres of society without fear of violence."

"I call on governments, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to prioritize the rights and well-being of women and girls in COVID response plans."

"Despite the challenges to women’s and girls’ empowerment, young women and girls must remain resilient and hopeful for the holistic change we are working to create."

"I am a lawyer (in equity), vocal girls’ rights advocate, and an unapologetic feminist."

"My doting parents raised me to believe in Gender Equality."

"Feminism is the translucent lens through which I view all individuals – EQUAL, regardless of gender."

"I am a Woman of Rubies because of the passion I exude and my commitment to purposeful living"

"We’re still learning, and we will continue to learn because COVID-19 is so devastating and so impactful that we don’t think the learning period is over. The pandemic drove home to the continent the level of dependency on everything."

"I'm more reform oriented. I like to start things that were not in existence. I get bored going to things that have already been said. I'm constantly looking for innovation."

"Africa is getting tired of receiving aid, adding that it would be more beneficial for the continent to take charge of its future."

"I think there needs to be a paradigm shift from the way we look at collaboration."

"There’s been a lot of talk, and a lot of research but now it’s time for action. And how do you have this action translate properly on the continent? By very quickly, clearly, concisely, looking at the transactions themselves."

"We were very gratified to hear about the launch of the global gateway and the $300 billion initially earmarked for it."

"The homemaker aspect of a woman’s life teaches me one thing and that’s to joggle and manage different things at the same time."

"I had to overcome several obstacles in my life journey to become the Director General and CEO of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) managing over N2 trillion in assets."

"While it would be good for Africa to be given vaccines, the continent needs more of investments to become self-reliant."

"So, rather than looking to be given vaccines developed in those labs outside Africa by people, some of whom are of African descent who did not have infrastructure to do it on the continent, we should be looking at setting up these vaccine plants on the continent."

"Our call now to the rest of the world is to join us, not as aid givers, but as investment partners so that we can quite clearly chart the course for the future."

"Africa is increasingly getting tired of asking for aid when in all honesty we can trade. And that is what we’re now looking to provide at the Africa Investment Forum, a flagship initiative of the African Development Bank, where both domestic and international investors who are looking to invest for profit, while fulfilling a need, are mobilised to finance projects."

"Therein lies a moral obligation to be our brother’s keeper, but whether we are doing that or not is playing out in this matter of vaccine equity. So, quite frankly, from this side in Africa, I’m not certain that it will happen. So, what you’re seeing now on the continent is a realisation that you have an option not to wait to be given, but to take your future into your own hands."

"A couple of years ago, it was Ebola ravaging the continent. Now it is COVID-19. There may be something else in the future. How do we then position Africa to very clearly respond to their own needs without a dependence on aid?"

"The Africa Investment Forum has been supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area through the Forum’s parent institution, the African Development Bank."

"There is abundance of capital and projects in Africa."

"Project preparation and due diligence is very important."

"It’s a start, we’ll need a lot more, but this is something that is very exciting to us at the Africa Investment Forum, because it clearly charts a path where we can have a collaborative effort and ensure that deals on the continent have fruition."

"One of the biggest challenges is project preparation. You can always find capital and it is available both domestically and globally."

"On the domestic front, can I just say that the driver behind the pension reform we conducted was to ignite that domestic resource mobilisation. And across the continent, we haven’t even started to scratch the surface on that front. Just look at contributions as a percentage of GDP and it’s still small comparatively speaking. So there is capital."

"The issue we have found are the project themselves, the way they’re structured and the way they are prepared. We have noticed that you can have some fantastic projects but they are structure is wrong and they don’t have the basic corporate governance structures that make them investible from an investor’s perspective."

"I also think we need to be more ambitious. You see projects and they are too timid, too small. International investors and financiers want scale. So we also help see the bigger picture and help ensure that these projects are appealing and will meet the requirements and benchmarks that we know investors will request."

"We are uniquely placed to overcome all of these different items. We work with every government on the continent. So we can help smooth out issues around policy through discussions and sensitisation and through reforms. We also have proprietary data through the African Development Bank."

"It is always incumbent on the project sponsors and the advisors to structure the deals in a manner that you accompany the interests of the country you operate in. That’s what differentiates success and frustration."

"One should understand that when the presidents come to the AIF they don’t come to AIF as the president of such and such a country, they come to AIF as CEOs of their countries."

"They sit in the room with investors, they sit in the room with project sponsors and they hear first-hand how their intentions, their concerns, how policies affect the investments. And investors also get a better understanding of policy. It helps with decision making and we have seen leaders go back to work on policy to help drive greater investments and get deals over the line. That is the unique proposition of the AIF."

"First let me say that risks do exist. It would be naive and totally idealistic for anyone to say that political risk doesn’t exist. But it exists everywhere. The point is that it’s not going to go away. What we need are the tools to manage it so that it doesn’t become a problem. What we do on the AIF side is to ensure that we unlock these bottlenecks and sometimes it’s a political bottleneck, sometimes it’s a policy bottleneck. Sometimes it’s a data or business intelligence bottleneck because you can’t invest if you don’t understand your terrain, if you don’t have reliable numbers."

"The same principles that we discussed earlier still need to be applied to these sectors. Thinking about scale, structuring projects properly, creating awareness around the impact and upside."

"Talent is not the issue on the continent. We have it in abundance. We are naturally blessed in sports and in the creatives."

"But we want to look at it more than just an athlete or a singer. We are looking to creating the framework so that we monetise the IP. Others are currently making money from our talent."

"Around sports you have the merchandising, you have the whole ecosystem, the infrastructure and for those watching these sports, the hotels, the shops, the licensing. This is why people are paying billions for sports franchises."

"We are helping structure this, and helping channel investments towards this. The same applies to the creatives, and making sure that we are monetising our creations."

"Before I talk about deals, I would like to talk about something that is paramount to me: women as investment champions. This is something I am most proud of, the launch of the Women as Investment Champions."

"We are helping to channel monies to women-led and businesses with a gender lens. We have a dozen deals on our platform starting from $2m – a sheer butter business – to a multi-billion refinery business. Their stories are amazing when you look at the obstacles they’ve had to overcome, the challenges and sheer tenacity and not just the will but also the mental acumen to pursue the deals to where they are now."

"This is something we incredibly proud of and when we talk about women in business, we’re helping make it a reality. We’re helping create scale and impact. This year, mining especially what are termed green minerals. We have many technology projects and also projects around logistics."

"The Lagos to Abidjan corridor highway project has been well documented and it’s fully subscribed – the road, the rail connection. So, now we are working on the next step which is logistics, storage, warehousing along this corridor. That’s what the boardrooms will be focusing on during the AIF. Making transactions happen and getting real investor interest in critical projects that will help drive transformation and development."

"We are constantly putting things on the table that weren’t there before and constantly refusing to take no for an answer when it comes to Africa."

"And I suppose this is a continuation of a culture that goes back to my days at Pencon. There was a lot of talk on pension reform and many people were saying that it wasn’t possible. It took a few senior people and a very willing President Obasanjo to back us and we pushed through the pension reform and did it in such a way that it remains sustainable"

"That’s what we’re doing now with the Africa Investment Forum. Again, building a platform that is multi-transactional, multi-disciplinary and very deal-oriented. We are trying to get away from the endless talk about what needs to be done in Africa to actually doing stuff and we’re doing it one transaction at a time. We distil the talk into projects. We are working with the creative industry, for example, and doing a lot of work and seeing how we can channel funds to where it is needed, not just where people think it is needed."

"That brings me to your direct question about the perception of the Americans in business. You have to deal with people telling you what they think is good for you because you’re not able to speak for yourself."

"They say, this is what you need because you have not articulated your own needs in a manner that you can present it so that it will be addressed. The continent also has not understood its part in solving its own problems, nobody will do it for you. You’re going to have to rise and do it yourself."

"So through the AIF platform we’re helping people join us as partners and shifting the discussion to one of investments. And I see that this approach does resonate in the American market and US investors."

"With the AIF, which is a flagship initiative of the African Development Bank along with seven other founding partners, we are preparing projects for bankability and helping projects progress through the different steps, the next one being raising capital and once that is done also working to unlock the bottlenecks that can cause some deals to not reach closure."

"So we’re involved throughout the value chain, all year round, providing the tools and instruments and know-how to make a deal bankable and helping it see the light of day. Of course, each deal is different and our role will change depending on the needs."

"At the Africa Investment Forum, we distil the talk into projects."

"I explained to African Business why in the current crisis, originating transactions is more important than ever."

"One of the easiest ways to liberate women is also to come up with legal jurisprudence that can help in promoting the rights of women."

"We will not achieve anything as a group of women if we don’t have a strong movement."

"For Nigeria to be better, for Nigeria to be able to get its place in the world, Nigeria must address the gender question. If we don’t, we’ll remain where we are."

"The process of feminism is a process of learning, nobody was born a feminist, people grew up to learn feminism."

"Feminism should also allow people to make choices on areas they think they believe in while we try as much as possible to convince them on those other areas that we think are non-negotiable in conversations of feminism."

"Within a short period of time the reality of life would make people to understand that feminist solidarity is important, it’s key and it’s a solution to the global problem."

"People had been turning to witchcraft because of the mistaken belief that using their body parts in potions can bring good luck and wealth."

"While we have come very far in the fight against these heinous acts, the road ahead remains long and arduous."

"The concept of loyalty is a very strange one. My prayer is, may our loyalty never be tested.”"

"The more transport infrastructure we provide the more efficient the economy becomes, resulting in more business opportunities."

"The health of the private sector in any economy is a fair measure of how prosperous and democratic that economy is."

"I have played my role but people can decide whether it is quiet or not"

"Democracy does not guarantee that the leader or those leaders will deliver or indeed are able to deliver on what we want."

"I think the debate we must have is whether we really want autonomous local government. As it stands today, it is unrealistic to expect autonomy for local governments created by the constitution. They were not meant to be autonomous"

"Local government autonomy unrealistic, says Fashola"

"My presence at the Senate will further promote APGA ideology and acceptance of the Igbo nation by other states of the country."

"Thirty years ago this day, 4th Dec. 1988, I ventured in trepidation onto the grand stage of the National Theatre, Lagos, as a contestant in the MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN NIGERIA PAGEANT by Silverbird Productions. By the grace of God I won the contest. I was then a law undergraduate at the University of Nigeria. The rest, as they say, is history."

"Ojukwu’s personality transcends a political party. He means much more to the Igbo nation. He is the son of the ‘Rising Sun’."

"12 years in wait, 7 years after our wedding and 3 children later, the father of the bride said ‘Yes’!. Enugu was shut down by a mammoth crowd as people from far and wide, distinguished personalities from all over the country as well as all the governors of the south Eastern States stormed the legendary ‘Okwor’s Fortress’, the ancient stone palace of the late High Chief Gabriel Okwor Onoh, Father of Chief C.C. Onoh, to witness this significant event. It was nothing short of a carnival!"

"It is most unfortunate that Obiano decided to remove the picture of Ojukwu on APGA uniforms and replace same with his picture, just to drive home his statement that he would no longer tie the fate and fortunes of APGA to the memory of a dead man, obviously in reference to my husband."

"APGA is now like a secret cult, and this has reduced our once vibrant party to a shadow of its former self."

"Kanu’s release will further buttress President Buhari’s commitment to healing the wounds of marginalization felt by the Igbo nation."

"We must unite to achieve our common goal. I know you are concerned about what is happening at home. We, as an ethnic group, have been denied the presidency of Nigeria for so long. However, we cannot make progress by becoming internally divided, with some of our major stakeholders working against our collective interests. But we must not box ourselves into a corner. We must continue to build pragmatic partnerships and anchor our aspirations on strategic engagements, alliances, and negotiations which, while tapping into our collective goodwill and progressive agenda, will advance our political interests."

"Our own Barrister Bianca Ojukwu is one of our brightest and best in Igboland. She is our priceless jewel of inestimable value. A classical and celebrated beauty in her own class. She is a scholar in the best tradition. She is well brought Child, former Ambassador to Spain, former Miss Nigeria, daughter of a former Governor of the old Anambra State, Chief CC Onoh, wife of Ikemba Nnewi, former President of Biafra, a well-respected scholar, soldier of soldiers, IKEMBA Nnewi, Dikedioramma of Igboland, Onuo Onaa of Igboland. Bianca is a big fish, a jewel of inestimable value in Nnewi where I come from. Her husband Ikemba Nnewi was a lion and Hon Bianca is a lioness. Please know this and have inner peace."

"At that interview, the head of legal (who is English but whose partner is of Asian descent) asked me if I thought my race had been a factor in me not getting interviews with other organisations. That was, honestly, the first time I had even considered race as being something that could inhibit my progress. Thankfully, I was offered a role by her and was able to qualify as a solicitor in-house."

"I have experienced bias and situations where, being a black woman, I was judged more harshly over other colleagues. You are more likely to be noticed and are far more likely to have negative judgements made about you if you are part of an ethnic minority."

"I have experienced both racial and gender-based discrimination in the workplace and was angry about this for many years. Instead of staying angry, I decided to do something about it! My aim is to level the playing field by empowering the next generation (and, indeed, others) to maximize their potential with a view to seeing an end to all forms of discrimination in the work place and in wider society. This challenge is huge but, to me, is worth pursuing and making sacrifices for."

"I was absolutely stunned when I received an official letter from the Cabinet Office informing me of this in early May but have had to keep this news confidential until now."

"Studying law was a real break from what they expected of me. It was a big deal to choose an alternative career to medicine, so I had to make a real go of it."

"When you have more than you need, build a longer table—not a higher fence."

"I decided not to become a doctor – my mum and dad are doctors, my three younger siblings are doctors. I loved the science, but not the blood and pain. It wasn’t going to happen."

"I found it extremely difficult to secure an entry-level position when I finished the QLTT (now QLTS) transfer test and needed to gain experience before qualification. To get my foot in the door, I drew up a list of the top 100 law firms specialising in corporate law and did the same with the top 50 in- house teams. I then proceeded to cold-call the heads of department at all 150 organisations."

"My CV is sometime 2-4 pages long.i would never advise anyone to have a CV run 22-23 pages.certainly,my LinkedIn profile runs to 22-23 pages because I have been very creative."

"My first career was in law, working as a corporate lawyer. I practised law as a corporate solicitor for 12 years. My second career was in healthcare where I worked as a C-suite healthcare executive for 2 global pharmaceutical organisations for almost a decade."

"Alongside this, my consistent goal throughout my career is to promote, encourage and campaign for more equality, diversity and inclusion across the corporate world and society as a whole."

"To this end, I personally lead on, sponsor, champion and support a wide range of initiatives and projects, working with a number of organisations to drive change. I have worked with the Law Society, large corporates, various national and global law firms, Aspiring Solicitors, Speakers4Schools and the UK Government to name a few."

"My focus is on 3 main diversity strands - gender, ethnicity and social background. I am also an LGBTQI and disability ally. I regularly spearhead positive change through various fora and write regularly about diversity and related issues."

"In addition, I provide inspirational talks to thousands of school children and University students annually as well as leadership mentoring & coaching to students and young professionals. A solid, rounded education is of paramount importance and I have twice served as a school governor. I proactively sponsor development opportunities for my mentees whenever I can."

"I am also a regular media contributor, providing commentary on both BBC TV and radio channels."

"I believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to maximise their potential irrespective of background. Sadly, it is often only those on the field who are aware of the uphill struggle that they face. We need to empower others if we find ourselves in a position of privilege, embracing and celebrating our differences to work towards building a better society"

"Juggling all this is not at all easy and I do decline most requests for my assistance due to time constraints."

"Please understand that I must prioritise what I devote my time to. I am extremely mindful of the importance of my own wellbeing and I am careful not to over-commit, often saying 'no' to various opportunities and approaches for assistance as a result."

"It would be impossible for me to do everything and I mean no offence by declining your request."

"I have been honoured to receive several award nominations and other recognitions for my work which is truly humbling. I deeply cherish every single one and I am greatly encouraged and uplifted by them."

"However, I want to be absolutely clear and say that I do this work for a cause and not for applause. Improving diversity and maximising potential is my calling and I would still make sacrifices for this cause even if no recognition was forthcoming. I am visible about what I do not to brag, show off or self-promote but because research has consistently shown that there remains a severe lack of visible, accessible role models in our society, causing fundamental issues for those looking for an example to follow. This is particularly acute within the ethnic minority community."

"I remained an invisible diversity campaigner for several years and shied away from the exposure and vulnerability that comes with raising your head above the parapet. I later realised that my influence and impact would be much enhanced if I was more visible. A friend once told me that "a world of opportunity awaits the visible". Since making the decision to become more visible a few years ago, I have been able to drive more impactful change."

"Staying focused, determined and tenacious, being brave enough to stand out from the crowd and be my own person, constantly learning from my mistakes and getting constructive feedback to help me improve, giving back to others and maintaining my faith have all been key to my success."

"With that in mind, I do hope that you will be inspired and motivated to join me on this exciting journey."

"Definitely! When my son was younger, I learnt to do a lot of things very quickly, especially if he was having a nap. We are a single parent family so I became a lot more efficient in how I spent my time generally. I found this mindset very useful when I returned to work full time after maternity leave. Part of this was learning to prioritise very quickly what was important and what could wait. I became less of a perfectionist after having my son and realised that ‘good enough’ was what was required – perfectionism is totally unattainable."

"Yes. I am less likely to suffer fools and my core values are deeply entrenched. I refused to compromise on my parenting, ultimately leading to me leaving my role as a corporate solicitor in a central London law firm for a similar role with a regional firm. At the same time, I moved out of London to Hertfordshire, creating a much better life balance. I became a lot more decisive (again, because this makes best use of time) and even more driven to deliver and get things done within the time available. Ultimately, having my son improved my leadership style and my overall performance."

"I look at my son and realise that I must have done something right! He is a very mature, 15 year old boy who helps me a lot with chores around the house and is really kind and considerate. He is popular at school with a very loyal and supportive group of friends. We, of course, have silly rows (he is a teenager after all!) but everyone comments on how polite, respectful and articulate he is. He knows right from wrong and has a clear sense of his own identity, always standing up for what he believes in. My diversity campaigning has also clearly rubbed off on him – he is a HeForShe advocate and a strong male gender champion. I am very proud of him."

"I love combining leadership roles with caring for my son when he can benefit from seeing the impact of my leadership."

"It was definitely the first time my son came with me to a speaking engagement at the London office of one of the world’s largest law firms. He was only 9 years old but immediately started ‘working the room’ and networking with others. He spoke to everyone from the receptionist to senior partners of the firm. I have a picture of him sitting on the balcony with the firm’s global chair, having a conversation, a priceless and memorable moment"

"Initially, it was juggling long hours working as a corporate solicitor in central London with being a mum. Eventually I left London for a regional law firm where I could enjoy a much better life balance."

"The responsibility that all parents have to shape a young life is truly admirable."

"I rarely feel guilty these days as my son is older but when he was younger, I did experience a lot of guilt. This is par for the course when you have very young children whilst also holding down a demanding career – you never feel as if you are doing a good job either at home or at work. However, before you know it, your ‘baby’ is a teenager who needs you less and less and you start yearning for the days when he was more dependant on you!"

"To not worry so much about the things I couldn’t control and to focus on changing the things that I could control. This attitude would have saved me many sleepless nights and lots of angst."

"More affordable childcare provision for working parents. The economic benefits of empowering parents to work is huge yet many families find that it is not worth both parents working due to exorbitant childcare costs. This has a direct impact on the pipeline of women in business and is a huge factor in why we have such a small number of senior, female leaders. I would love the opportunity to radically shape and influence government provision and policy on this as a way of both boosting the UK’s economy and empowering parents."

"I do this work for a cause and not for applause. Improving diversity and maximising potential is my calling and I would still make sacrifices for this cause even if no recognition was forthcoming"

"There remains a severe lack of visible, accessible role models in our society"

"We need good governance that puts women at the centre of its policies, and is seen to defend and enforce these policies. We need an enabling environment that supports women at home, in the workplace and in public spheres."

"Many times, people will tell you it is impossible, it can’t be done, you are too small or too inconsequential to make change happen. Look them in the face and show them just how to do it."

"No one said it’s going to be easy, the only assurance is that the difficult times won’t last forever. Never give up on your passion, follow your dreams, keep lighting up the world."

"Ah…the admission system is faulty, as far as I’m concerned. Students are admitted and nothing is known about their background…where they are coming from. Many of these students have been through the system of forgery; many of them cannot pass five credits in WASC. Yet they pretend to have scored 275 in JME; it’s absolutely deceitful."

"A great deal has to be invested as a way of correcting the system. There have been so many wrongs arising from bad management; we all now know that the same people who complain about student violence might actually be fueling that violence to avoid attention being paid to their own non performance. There is no water, no light, no accommodation, and so on and so forth. The environment is not conducive for studies. There are no books in the library, so the students are idle, and there is nothing to occupy them. Some students really want to study, but all these things I’ve mentioned are immensely discouraging."

"Anywhere in the world, if you create a good environment, people will excel. But our country continues to provide insufficient funding for nearly everything that is necessary. So it’s a vicious circle. We began to notice a decline when successive Nigerian governments no longer felt that education was important, and therefore gave it the least attention. And I say this with all seriousness. With the military governments in power it was not considered all that important to have education. Many in the government itself were in fact young and did not value education, because they viewed their more senior colleagues as poor, and preferred to become millionaires."

"The corruption we see in the examinations is a ‘carry-over’ effect of the overall moral and ethical decay in the larger society. It does not help that the Nigeria nation believes in, and insists on paper qualification, rather than the possession of actual knowledge. I have argued it again and again that, as long as we believe in the paper and not the knowledge; that we want students with second class upper division (even if they have cheated to do so), the students will go all out to get the paper qualification. At interviews, it is obvious that many of the certificates being paraded have not been merited by the people laying claim to them."

"Now what we need to do is to teach them to use their power to their own advantage. We tell them that they should not continue to queue behind the men; when a woman comes out, line-up behind her for a change and wait. Do not look at her as that little child whose naming ceremony you attended, and who now wants to become a governor. Rather, look at her positively, because she knows where the shoe pinches. And when it comes to women’s empowerment, look at them as individuals who can perform rather than a member of a class that has to be kept behind. It is when we have succeeded at this experiment that in the next election, we shall do better."

"Children orientation, mind shifting programme, These projects have greatly impacted on the lives of many children and youths in the society."

"Taming our speech, mind and heart would contribute in achieving peace in the society, thus promoting it at a global level"

"Women should take advantage of technology to secure good health, improve their finances, and foster personal development."

"Research has shown that where women’s inclusion is prioritized, peace is more probable, especially when women are in a position to influence decision making."

"Restorative Practices are about focusing on capacities rather than deficits. It is about holding circles and talking to generate solutions and build valuable abilities in students."

"Social emotional skills are very important skills, they need to be developed and showed."

"The truth is that restorative practice is a proven approach to discipline in schools that favours relationships over retribution, and has been shown to improve behaviour and enhance teaching and learning outcomes."

"Reading clubs in school were important because it encourages critical thinking and increases the ability of understanding and advised students to have deeper engagement with stories in their communities and beyond."

"India is a country where great influencing personalities of the world have born and are remembered for their teachings."

"Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the nation who preached and practiced peace. Living for others and selfless giving is taught by Swami Vivekananda. They are icons of the world and there is so much that one can learn from their way of life. Peace is achieved from within ourselves. Caring for others is what makes a society with human beings."

"Words are dangerous than a nuclear weapons which affects mankind and can cause a destruction. There is great printed inspiration in our world that is available a click away but people should realise that poetry and literature cannot change the world. They are high source of inspiration to bring peace in a nation. Suppressing people or communities will only lead to revolt and gives rise to anti-social elements."

"There is a strong connection between hands-on, participative creative arts and the creation of non-violence as a key element of peace building. The nature and meaning of peace and non-violence is synonymous to that powerful aspect of creative arts that build peace and promote non-violence. The arts’ has capacity to help develop skills for peaceful problem-solving through the comprehension of fundamental principles in conflict resolution, and violence prevention."

"Artists work in war zones, refugee camps and conflict ridden communities using their creativity to stimulate and deepen knowledge in violence prevention and ultimately support peace building through building resiliency, conflict resolution and reconciliation from the community level. This chapter will explore the traditional art concepts and creativity in the past and the current understandings of peace as seen in our literature, poetry, mime, drama, dance, songs, paintings, sculptures, graffiti’s, stories, adages and from social psychology that has been great ways of building peace, non-violence and positive social development."

"It will show how the creative arts stimulates and support peace building and non-violence particularly in Africa. The impact that violence prevention goals of community-based art program has are enormous, the production of art supports and expand non-violent conflict resolution skills. It the artworks that educates and advocates for peace and non-violence plays a critical role in learning the concepts of non-violence and peace building in Africa."

"Every single day presents a different and more difficult challenge which you must rise above."

"Things are going to happen that you least expect, but you are going to be fine, either way."

"Not everybody will handle or treat people or situations like you would, because people are raised differently and have different exposures. They have different family values and backgrounds."

"Women have it a lot harder when it comes to raising capital due to the usual stereotypes and expectations of women."

"By and large, I believe there is going to be a change of narrative and I am ready to be part of the young people. Myself I am tired of this godfatherism, expensive way of politicking, no matter how sound your ideas are, it never really matters because the winners are always determined even before the election."

"You don’t endanger people, you don’t destroy properties, and you don’t frustrate the electoral process just because you want your candidate to win call it ‘the beauty of democracy’."

"Our people want good representation and they voted for it. I am out to prove to Nigerians that women folk are intelligent."

"I want to be remembered as a bold and reformative leader."

"I will say the entire election in Kogi Central is a sham, I find it quite barbaric and undemocratic. I will pretty much say 90 per cent of the polling units had no elections but surprisingly results came out of them."

"My unjust suspension from the Nigerian Senate invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness and equity. The illegal suspension does not withdraw my legitimacy as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I will continue to use my duly elected position to serve my constituents and country to the best of my ability till 2027 … and beyond."

"This was orchestrated to silence my voice. That action is an assault on democracy... I am not apologising for speaking my truth."

"Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has also advocated for greater transparency in Nigeria's mining sector. She urged the federal government to publish all memoranda of understanding (MOUs) entered into with investors in the mining and solid minerals sector, emphasizing the importance of making these documents readily accessible to Nigerians."

"What Gets Me by is Courage"

"If we don’t want this democracy, it is better we forget about it."

"I don't cherry pick my life"

"Nothing is more important than your Mental Health and well being."

"Please feel free to choose your side or better still disassociate."

"Every child comes into this world for a purpose; they should not wallow in self-pity, and should not hold out against people that stigmatised them because they don’t know any better."

"Parents that are ashamed of their wards must understand that they are just children, just humans, it doesn’t mean that you should not care for them."

"I think the only legacy is somebody who served in truth and justice— that’s what I titled my memoir. You must have confidence that this is the truth as you see it, as you know it, no matter who it offends, you do your best according to the law of the land."

"But many of us, because of money and status, they’ve lost it. So we are reducing the efficacy and importance of the profession to the ordinary man, so everything you do now, the ordinary man can do it because you’re not doing the right thing."

"Confidence in your own abilities is the key ingredient to success."

"It only becomes Failure when you keep trying rather thank thinking of failure as a negative experience, think of it as a learning experience."

"Men, we need you. We women share this earth with you and cannot afford to be disunited from you. This means we demand to be included in the heavily-male saturated halls of power and also need your presence and power behind our causes for equity and justice. We need you as our allies,our Fathers, Brothers, Husbands and Sons. We need you on this global task force to right societal wrongs. We cannot make sustainable change without you on board, without you using your agency to protect the whole."

"If you continue to hurt half of your population, your industry, your workforce, then you bind your own hands from achieving growth."

"Earlier this year, we saw the 2 millionth subscription to the Spinlet service, and our website sees 1,300 unique visitors a day on average. In order of volume, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are where most of our users are based, though we are seeing a gradual increase in UK and US subscriptions as well."

"AI could be the very tool that allows us to leapfrog and monetise our cultural assets to the next level. Ignoring this shift will be a mistake."

"Music, art, film, fashion, and all creative mediums are unified by a common theme: their ability to powerfully communicate, and engage people through narrative."

"Gain as much knowledge as you can – know your rights, know the policies, and know who you can go to for help to ensure they are properly implemented."

"Silence can – quite literally – kill, and when you speak out against workplace inequality and harassment, you stand up not only for yourself but for the conditions of all women."

"The creative industry in Nigeria has the potential to drive growth, innovation, and employment, but it lacks scalable and predictable investment frameworks."

"It’s time for our creatives to see themselves not just as artists, but as business people, institution builders, and financially literate architects of enterprise."

"Our creative industry will not and cannot achieve its full potential through isolated success stories."

"Be creative, think out of the box. Identify your unique selling point and always make a concious effort to improve on yourself."

"First it takes believing in yourself to be a pioneer in an industry that no one was sure of what the future held."

"it’s always also good to surround yourself with good people. People that are like your mentors, that will guide you. People that have also gone through what you went through."

"We cannot be everything, every time in our lives. You have to determine how you want to make it work."

"You can't compare yourself to other families, because you do not know what is going on in their homes. It's about knowing what you want so a balance can be created."

"One is the ability to organise− you are managing people, so you must know how to organise. You must be diplomatic. Pay attention to detail. Interpersonal skills are skills you must learn. There are also attributes such as knowing how to manage a crisis, being result-oriented, being very resourceful, being creative, and having the ability to manage a team. There are so many character traits that an event planner must have, but at the same time, there are non-negotiable skills. You must learn how to negotiate, have good communication skills, and have good relationship skills."

"One of the things I’d say is lacking is the lack of standard, in the sense that everybody is working to a standard where nobody understands what is expected."

"We can’t just have one huge monolith of the national grid. It doesn’t work; it hasn’t worked."

"When there’s no electricity, women get beaten more."

"Women bear the greatest burden of energy poverty. If there’s no electricity or water in the home, it’s the woman that goes out to fetch the firewood, the woman that goes out to fetch water, and this over long distances. There’s actually a phrase for it: ‘time poverty’ – and women suffer huge time poverty, because they’re the homemakers, they run businesses, and they also have to do all this demanding domestic work that the men don’t have to do."

"I am not saying men are not victims of sexual violence, men are trafficked too, but women and girls are disproportionately affected. This is because of their already weak position in the society and family. The prevailing social norms, patriarchal structures, the power relations, the dichotomy between public and private space; if you look at all these, you will see they are the ones in worse positions. When you want to help, you start with helping the most oppressed. The idea and the ideal is that nobody should suffer any violence or human right violation, but then you have to start from the ones that are least protected or most vulnerable."

"Feminism is misconceived. It is about placing equal value on both gender; if you have a girl child, you value the girl child as you value your boy child. You don’t bring in the preference ideology. You give equal opportunities educationally and otherwise; you don’t say you go and cook because she is a girl; you train them equally as humans with equal right."

"human trafficking is adding shame to humanity."

"In recognition of your efforts in advancing this mandate, the Steering Committee of the awards gala have selected you as a finalist in the category for Civil Society."

"The award is convened in partnership with the British High Commission, the European Union, delegation and the Embassies of France, Germany, and the United States of America."

"UNN, said “in fact, the way they did it, I didn’t even know that I won. I was just invited and was announced the winner at the event."

"I think it is a very big thing which should be captured in our media reports because it has not been reported in any media platform."

"Nigeria is part of UDHR of 1948 which states that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights regardless of gender, national or social origin and property."

"The principle of equality and non-discrimination which Nigeria recognises and claims to uphold are a combination of both international and regional human rights instruments."

"These instruments are from bodies such as Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Convention on Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)."

"The instruments also include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and a host of others."

"Despite all these and the entrenchment of human rights in the constitution, Nigeria leads when it comes to denying women of equality, justice and opportunities."

"To change the negative narrative of gender discrimination, well qualified and competent female Lawyers need to campaign, maybe, more vigorously for the positions they want. They must continue to solicit for the votes of male Lawyers who are in the majority, as well as securing the support of their fellow women."

"We pray that there will be more female Lawyers who will offer themselves to serve the N.B.A. in the capacity of President and other positions, in the near future."

"I feel very sad that the electronic voting was not conducted fairly. In my view, the election should be cancelled. An audit should be conducted. There are too many complaints. We are Lawyers – we should give a good example to Nigerians."

"love is greater than sex, marriage is a place of peace, we must pray to have that peace."

"Finance is the blood of the business. FINTECH is driving access to finance and helping to boost aggregate demand and investment."

"Nigerians are not looking for a handout, what they need is the space and they will do the rest. People are really entrepreneurial, so for us as a country, it’s not for lack of human assets or the passion or desire to progress, it is about lack of good policy, good governance around economics, and making the environment conducive so that all Nigerians can prosper, no matter what positive endeavour they decide to engage in."

"Government should incentivize production, provide enabling environment for businesses to thrive, ensure locally produced goods and services compete in the International Market and ensure that necessary infrastructures are put in place with these Nigeria will be self-reliant. In other words, there is need to Identify areas where we have competitive advantage, then develop required and necessary policies and most importantly ensure proper implementation of developed policies."

"Be curious, stay flexible and keep learning. Its ok to make mistakes and learn from them, its ok to ask questions if you don’t understand."

"Demystifying technology and STEM early on in girl’s life/education – it’s not magic, and you don’t have to be a genius. We should encourage curiosity and not assume that because one doesn’t have an interest in STEM courses when they are younger automatically means they won’t change their minds as they grow and learn more."

"Sustainability is important in building not just projects and programs but also building the human capital needed to sustain them. For sustainability to be achieved, when you build solid systems and also invest in the human resource needed to run those systems, it has very positive economic consequences on the global economy."

"They must be innovative, proactive, and resilient and must leverage on any opportunity that comes their way to grow."

"Our businesses and bottom lines would be better and the overall growth and development of Nigeria and that of Africa rests on designing and collectively defining an industry where everyone is playing a part to move things forward."

"Ready access to electricity will reduce youth unemployment and increase productivity."

"If you look at the floods that happened last year, two years ago in Nigeria, there was a lot of displacement of people, mainly people who were poor, and people who had nowhere to go."

"People had babies on their backs, their belongings on their heads, and they were carrying two or three children and trying to get to safety. That is the archetype of what happens when there is a climate disaster when there are rising seas, floods, and rising temperatures."

"Climate change is exacerbated by poverty, and this sort of poverty mostly wears a woman’s face."

"And so, when we’re thinking of mitigation and adaptation measures, it’s about how we stop the encroachment of climate in everyday life. But then, how do we also create normalcy for people who are trying to adapt to the changing climate in many ways"

"Terrorism is a new, worldwide phenomenon that should be fought in whatever shape or colour. Everyone should fight against this. Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to violence of unimaginable proportions."

"It is a wise person who does not believe everything that is written about a person, place or country, but instead, seeks to find things out for him or herself."

"The idea is to have a defense force, capable of responding rapidly and decisively across the full spectrum of military operations in order to guarantee national security, and influence the global environment to the advantage of our country."

"Undoubtedly, the education and welfare of children, who are the bedrock of the society, is key to the overall development of any nation. Nigeria not exempted. It, therefore, behooves on everyone in the private and public sector to join hands in ensuring that their children are provided the necessary education to arm them for their future development."

"It is time for women to add their voices to climate finance, not just that but for them to wake up and begin to benefit from climate finance."

"When we bury ourselves in a story that is well told, we can’t help but go away with an understanding that we may not have had before. We go away with being able to see things perhaps a little more clearly, a little more humanely."

"what would be considered a middle-class setting, where women seem to have power, but they are living in a particular context that requires them to contort themselves into different things. And so they make choices that are not necessarily the kindest choices for others or choices that we would consider to be good."

"No doubt, health is private, but it is not private when you put yourself up for the highest office in a country – not if you want lead – but maybe if you want to rule."

"Decent, accessible, affordable public health is a right, not a privilege, and we should not give our votes to those who see the best health care as their entitlement and sub-par health care as a privilege to us."

"Elections are not democracy. Holding regular elections is not democracy."

"Our political parties are generational. Nothing is going to die out. It has become a system, a process, and a culture. I met fathers who are preparing their sons to take their positions bearing the same mentality. Whether we have old people or young people it would be the same if we do not develop a different strategy to make things work"

"Every Nigerian is entitled to a lawyer if charged before a court, no matter how heinous the crime or how large the sum alleged to have been stolen."

"Indeed the judiciary is a critical component in the war against corruption."

"Naturally, balancing the professional commitments and family life was also challenging and is indeed a work in progress. The family and bringing up your children is a full time job in itself and, at the same time, your professional career and aspirations cannot be neglected"

"BOMA OZOBIA Professionalism, consistency keys to success"

"A true-bred Nigerian will always have a million and one things going on at the same time."

"One advice I always give to young people is that no experience is a waste. Try your hand at whatever your heart leads you to do."

"Motherhood is not about you and your desires, it’s about the children that God has gifted to you. Children are not jewelry around your neck, neither are they meant for you to fulfill all your unfulfilled ambitions in your children."

"The quality of a mother determines the quality of society. We need to take motherhood and mothers really more seriously. It is not something that should just be left to chance."

"My best advice is whatever you put your hand to do, do it to the best of your ability. Everything you do eventually becomes part of your skill set and ends up being part of who you eventually become."

""I believe as an individual, I have a social responsibility to make a difference any way I can"."

"We have serious issues in this country but at the end of the day we only have ourselves to blame."

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out."

"Dear Artiste, Management is a bit like a marriage. Your career can be significantly affected by who you choose to manage it."

"My love and appreciation for beautiful things and my value for artisanal products and respect for artisanship."

"I am surrounded by beautiful products with great history culturally and was always inspired by our own version of Luxury. I felt we needed a platform that challenged us into making traditional luxury objects covetable by ourselves and the rest of the world. Also I looked around and saw that we have great taste and love of Luxury but not many people were investing in retail in a formal way. I am also aware that Luxury Retail is becoming very experiential and that creating our own unique version of luxury retail will be interesting educative and inspiring."

"The exceptional beauty and versatility of Timber and the variety and abundance that we have here. Again the skills of the makers. For me honing those skills to produce simple streamlined and sophisticated designs is rewarding."

"Brands I believe embody the spirit of today’s Africa in terms of aesthetic and culture, luxury and fashion brands that people know, love and aspire to own and exceptional African brands."

"The luxury of having a purpose, identifying it and being able to realise it. It's rare, it's valuable and it's is covetable. That's Luxury"

"Alara was conceived to show the world who we are today, to share how we live and to show Africans that we have a lot to be proud of, that we create and enjoy objects of exceptional quality and beauty, to celebrate those who have done it, and to support and encourage those who wish to exchange, educate, elevate and beautify."

"We will open people’s eyes to the incredible creative renaissance that is growing in Africa and how seamlessly it functions as a part of the global conversation of style."

"Going beyond luxury retail, we’ve become a platform for exchange across all the creative disciplines. Our curation is trusted, and our network authentic."

"I have a huge vision, huge passion and huge ambition."

"We are women. We are meant to rule the world. We are super."

"It’s about beautifully made, bright, colorful, expressive things that have a story behind them. It’s about art, clothing, and design that’s unique and beautiful. It’s African but contemporary"

"I decided it would be interesting to have the best stuff from all over the world along with the very best from Africa all in the same space to get people from outside Africa to see what was possible, but also to get people in Africa to understand the value of what they had. It was a bit of an education on both sides."

"I used to spend a lot of time with artists and designers and I had a lot of friends that were doing creative things and I enjoyed spending time with them."

"I got the impression that although people were making these things, they didn’t feel as though what they were making was good enough to be on a certain level. A lot of what people were doing hadn’t been properly celebrated and there were these very beautiful, very well-crafted African items that people didn’t know about."

"I felt that we needed something iconic that would change our city, change the way we see ourselves and also change the way the world sees us."

"I taught myself to make furniture and then started a furniture factory that still exists. But I realized I wanted to be around creative people. I started to travel within Africa, and discovered people making fashion and design pieces that were contemporary iterations of what you see traditionally—not what we would call contemporary in the Western sense, but in our context. And I thought that was very intriguing."

"I understand the connection: female founders, a strong and unique point of view, curated and presented with a focus on art and its interaction with fashion. But our mission is different: upliftment."

"We are selling our culture. We’ve clearly become an epicenter for cultural exchange for all kinds of creative people. In my native Yoruba language, alára means “wondrous performer, one who thrills endlessly”—that’s how we see African fashion and design, and how we want global audiences to experience it and embrace it."

"ALÁRA was created to be a window to the world, an authentic curation of contemporary Africa...[it is also] a symbol of my personal journey of self affirmation and belief...a fulfillment of a burning desire to celebrate and elevate a lot of what I had come across on my journeys in Africa."

"I think we needed a symbol of what is now called the African renaissance, a showpiece that is unapologetic in its approach about who we are today,...that we have people who make and consume luxury and that we have done it all by ourselves."

"There’s a great appetite for consumption of luxury goods by Nigerians, but in terms of experiential retail with a concept...that is completely new...We have definitely had to educate the customer with regard to African Luxury, getting them to pay more for African goods that they have hitherto seen as craft and substandard."

"It was important for us to have an aesthetic that we believed was our aesthetic...we chose designers who reflected the ideas of bold, unapologetic beauty, [had a] conscience and celebrated craftsmanship. We realised quite fast that people wanted to pay for brands they knew and coveted and if we were to succeed we had to first of all listen to our market, get them super comfortable with us and then start to explore other brands."

"I devote a lot of time reading about and consuming the different art forms that we live with. I have tried to paint, I have made furniture, I have designed clothes, and I have always created experiences."

"When I’m trying to define African luxury, and this is not an exclusive definition, it has to benefit the person who’s buying it in terms of its value, but it also must benefit the person who was making it and the people in that chain of making it."

"Reni is showcasing the best and brightest in a way that allows them to shine – and the exhibition is doing the same."

"Reni Folawiyo is a pioneer whose determination and vision have created a contemporary visual language for African luxury. Architecturally, the concept of the Alára store is a celebration of design talent—an architectural promenade through the different parts of the program. Socially, Reni Folawiyo has carved a way to promote emerging talent while establishing a creative hub and an essential new destination for Lagos."

"There are 84 million registered voters in Nigeria. 60% of them are under 30 and they don't have these biases that you're thinking. They're young and that's my power base.Those are the people that are taking me to the presidency."

"Men and women who rule us are greedy with an overwhelming degree of selfishness. They go into government simply to chop their portion of the national cake. They are into government to pay lip-service to the manifestos they give the electorate to get them voted into power."

"I am a lawyer with vast experience in legislative drafting and policy implementation. I am also a people organizer with experience leading political groups, one of which includes the formation and leadership of the now defunct political party, National Interest Party (NIP), the party upon which I stood to run for the office of President in 2019. All of these are factors I feel make me a great candidate for the position I seek."

"We must learn to state our opinions clearly, & stand by them no matter whose oxes are gored! How else do you assure the electorates that your word is your bond?!"

"If it is APC, never; I'm not going to work with them. Forget it. However, if it is PDP, AAC or absolutely any of the other parties, I'm willing to go in there and see what I can do to help us create a better Nigeria."

"We have to start making the men, women, children, the imams, the pastors and priests etc... understand that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. That is a challenge that I will have to deal with -- in terms of getting the average Nigerian to cast their vote for me."

"To me, we need contributions & views from all sides (masculine & feminine) in designing the future Nigeria."

"We need men and women from every corner of the country bound by a common objective to create a Nigeria which works for every Nigerian."

"“I believe there will be respect for human life, less nepotism, tribalism, religious fanaticism, insensitivity and outright disregard for the wishes of the Nigerian people."

"Corona has always maintained a reputation for academic excellence. But what we were lacking at the time was a sense of the world around us. We didn’t have much general knowledge; that was why we started this quiz – to help our students appreciate the importance of knowing what is going on outside of their particular bubble"

"At the heart of the legal practice today, there are two essentials. The first is business. It is essential that a Law firm is run like a business. This means that the objective is to solve the client’s problem as efficiently as possible. In pursuit of this efficiency, there is a need for top quality support staff in addition to competent legal practitioners. The value of competent support staff is evident in the increasing number of law firms that employ the members of staff to occupy roles such as chief operation officer, head of human resources, practice managers and other similar staff. The second essential for a 21st Century legal practice is ethics. It is of utmost importance that the ethics are not compromised on."

"You have to wake every morning believing God that yesterday was an experience and was for a purpose, for a lesson and something to be learnt. That is why it is new every morning. However, I am not saying that when something happens you say it doesn’t matter. What I am saying is that when something happens, instead of wallowing in the mistake, you look at the good side of it. You take the good side of the coin and move on from there.I can’t change the past! I have things that I have done in the past that I said to myself, ‘Oh dear! That was a bad decision or that wasn’t too smart.’ But then, I can’t change it. Some things are too late to change. So at such times, I tell myself, look for another opportunity, move on!"

"They often asked but I told them that I had not come this far to serve and give up here. I love this country. I monitor youths every day. You walk into restaurants or somewhere else, you would see the young lady at the counter not smiling. When you ask her why she’s not smiling. It was then you would observe that the youths of today hardly smile. Even when you pay them a compliment, they are aggressive in their replies because we rarely talk to them.That is everyday mentoring.Thank God nobody has money anymore, nobody can sell or buy votes as it used to happen in the past, I also want to encourage more women to come out"

"So, we thought it is good to bring the lawyers here and refresh their minds on how to present electronic evidence in their cases. We want to enhance their capability so that they do better in court"

"I will say that rape has become endemic in our society and all over the country and unfortunately there is societal stigma to rape victims. For this reason, it is not a crime that a lot of people admit has happened to them. But the thing about rape is that if you keep quiet, the perpetrator continues committing the crime unchallenged or unrestrained. So, what I was trying to say at the event is that, yes it is a thing of shame, especially in our society but people need to report these rapists and rape cases to enable us drastically reduce these crimes. And another thing that we have noticed is that there is a lot of pressure on victims and their families, to cover it up and it has a very adverse effect on the society. So, people need to report these cases so that perpetrators can get punished. if they know that they will tried and convicted for rape, it will be a deterrent to people who are even contemplating it."

"Rulings and orders that were secured against the Federal Government do not have any bearing against the Kaduna State government which was not a party to those proceedings and against whom no orders were made. Any issues regarding compliance or non-compliance with a court order by the DSS or the Federal Government cannot be used to vitiate the judicial proceedings the Kaduna State government has commenced against the El-Zakzakys."

"The case management system has been adopted for use in the Ministry to improve service provision and make it easier to categorise cases for good archival purposes. The ministry has provided lawyers with necessary operating skills which was done through series of trainings to enable them to work anytime from anywhere."

"I know that if the Federal Government of Nigeria had given sufficient and reasonable time for the naira redesign policy, all the current hardship and loss being experienced by the Plaintiffs’ State Governments as well as people in the various states would have been avoided.I know that the 10-day extension by the Federal Government is still insufficient to address the challenges bedevilling the policy. I also understand that the Federal Government cannot bar Nigerians from redeeming their old naira notes at any time, even though the senior notes are no longer legal tender."

"A government that goes to court as the proper arena for deciding cases cannot be reasonably accused of not respecting the rule of law. Those who assert the contrary have the burden of showing how the rule of law can be advanced without the courts and whether society is better served by permitting license, or confusing incitement with freedom of speech."

"In the bid to restore the competency of the teaching profession and improve the standard of education in schools across the state, a competency test was conducted for public primary school teachers in the state, on 3rd June, 2017."

"It is not the game of politics that is dirty; it is the player that can be dirty"

"Although gender was not a consideration in the appointment, a section of the public would definitely see her as being at the vanguard of our faith for more women participation in government. By her appointment, we now have a triumvirate of women in key positions like the Chief Judge, Head of Civil Service and one Deputy Governor."

"I joined the race for the sole purpose of pulling more of my people out of poverty as you already know, youth and women empowerment is critical to achieving this. Also critical to reducing the level of poverty among our people will be my attracting infrastructural projects in the education and health sectors as well as basic infrastructure and even in the area of rural electrification."

"Nigeria is ripe for a female president. Nigerian women are making indelible footprints everywhere; a recent example is the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO. I am sure as we move closer to 2023, interested women will join the race."

"we cannot do without ICT in this dispensation, so, that is why we adopted this convention of training women with disability since Dec. 13, 2006, seeing the world has gone digital."

"I have confidence that I will win, that I will get justice, that is why I came to court and as a lawyer, I know how the system works, I am not seeing any foul play bearing in mind the administrative bottlenecks. I know I will get justice."

"It has been very rewarding and fulfilling in the sense that as a woman myself and one who has always been at the forefront of ensuring the welfare of women, it was not a new terrain for me to listen and proffer solutions to the myriad of issues bedevilling Nigerian women, using the instruments of government. Looking back, I would say we were able to make remarkable progress and I am satisfied with what the government has been able to achieve under my watch."

"We have empowered many women in Cross River. We are going to the North East then the other geo-political zones with our empowerment programmes. We will train the women on poultry, fishing, tailoring, soap-making, among other vocations."

"Through hard work, dedication and perseverance Nigerian women have achieved milestones, broken barriers and charted new paths in the last 25 years. We have so much to present to the world, as stakeholders take stock of the progress made by women after the famous conference. I congratulate Nigerian women on this special day and state my confidence that even with so much we have achieved, the best days of Nigerian women are still ahead."

"The workshop is to re-position women to take advantage of the numerous generous financial policies of the present administration, in its next bid and agenda to lift up over 100 million Nigerians out of poverty"

"The role of women in any election is very crucial. Apart from being great and efficient mobilizers, women have proven themselves to be pacesetters in terms of carrying out the leadership roles. So, as we move towards the 2023 elections, I expect Nigerian women to break all barriers, offer themselves and put themselves forward for the various political offices in the land. Gone are the days when women would sit back, fold their arms and allow men to dictate their political path. A lot of women have made their marks and I expect more active and robust participation in the coming elections."

"Through advocacy, we encourage as a corporate social organisation from other agencies and private sector, to ensure that every organisation will buy a certain quantity of pads available to schools and send to rural areas as their own CSR"

"I will never and cannot withdraw from the race"

"Nigerian women have worked their ways to the top in various sectors. Women are now major players in business, politics, the academics and just about any area endeavor. We may not have reached our goal of having 35 representation in government, but women have broken the glass ceiling in the public and private sector. We have a large pool of female entrepreneurs, academicians, sports stars, investors and leaders, who are contributing to the development of the country. Today, you can say we have a lot to show for years of advocacy for gender equality, judging by the success millions of women have recorded in their chosen fields”,"

"Nigerian women are hardworking and self-motivated, they create opportunities for themselves and also take opportunities as they come. Our women have always managed to triumph over challenges and cultural disadvantages. Nigerian women have excelled both in the public and private sectors. All we need is the enabling environment to excel in our chosen fields."

"“In addressing the issue of ICT, the centre runs a girls’ coding programme to connect young girls and women to the information super highway and enable them to explore opportunities available in the sector."

"The failure of Nigerian authorities to release the report of the Presidential Panel that purportedly investigated compliance of armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, three years after the report was submitted to the President is a gross display of contempt for victims."

"It is the duty of authorities to ensure that people can freely express critical opinions, without fear of reprisals."

"The representatives have security operatives allocated to them; they would consider the risk of targeting such a high profile person compared to the villagers who they can easily overwhelm. So, it is really about letting the leadership know that it is not about personal interest, but public interest. And when the people are crying, you have a responsibility to address it. We have had situations when officials heard about a crisis and simply hired more security officials instead of tackling the issue so you don’t need to spend more money on your personal security. It is that awareness about public security that we really need to get the lawmakers, governors, and President to pay attention to."

"Education is under attack in northern Nigeria. Schools should be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life. Other children have had to abandon their education after being displaced by frequent violent attacks on their communities, and many teachers have been forced to flee to other states. The Nigerian authorities must act immediately to prevent attacks on schools, to protect children’s lives and their right to education."

"I haven’t looked back in terms of using not only my legal skills but my knowledge as a civil society actor in order to ensure that people use these institutions in order to pursue justice, but also to bring the voices of women and girls to these conversations. Oftentimes when peace or security is being discussed, or when people are talking about justice, women and girls are not decision-makers, and I thought that by adding my voice and my expertise, I can raise the visibility of the issues of women and girls as well."

"Working with local civil society organizations and the human rights community, Amnesty International Nigeria will campaign for accountability and safeguards for victims of human rights violations. Protecting human rights in Nigeria is crucial and will have wider impact across the continent."

"Amnesty International is an impartial organisation. We are non-political and do not support any particular regulatory arm. We do our report without fear and favour. What that means is that whatever position we take is based on human rights principles. We recognise the work we do and that some people might disagree with our approach, but we always explain the methodology of the research that we do and also how we carry out those activities"

"I will say that access to justice in Nigeria is still crawling, especially for women victims of violence. There are a lot of cultural taboos around women’s bodily integrity which is already a barrier to accessing the services they need."

"Our sister security agencies have engaged in rivalry and this has hampered our operations. The situation was such that we could not discharge our responsibilities optimally"

"Always encourage your daughters to open up whenever they face harassment. Sometimes, women will just carry their children to their neighbors house and travel to the market."

"Many people are very ignorant of things that are going on. Most of the victims are taken from the rural areas, where they do not have access to the internet, if they had they would have seen or heard of the horrors of taking such journeys. Even their parents do not have access to the internet. This is partly responsible for the continuous illegal migration."

"There is no doubt that the NAPTIP and NIS are like Siamese twins whose roles in the fight against irregular migration especially trafficking in persons are quite germane in the development of our dear country."

"Trafficking increases by at least, 500 girls daily, they bring them in their hundreds and now, they waybill them through well known motor parks in Cotonou.It also cuts across all 36 states of Nigeria and happens all over the world. It is no longer about the Edo girls being trafficked to Italy.I urge Nigerians to be alert and sensitive about their surroundings; they should report suspicious movements to the authorities, especially at our border posts.”"

"As the Executive Chairman of Roost Foundation, I am saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the Foundation keeps up with its mandate of offering financial, humanitarian and legal support to victims of human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence. Roost Foundation also has a skill acquisition centre, guidance and counselling unit, etc and alongside other members of the board of trustees, it is my duty to ensure that we provide a safe haven for victims of human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence."

"As I join the Board of Trustees for the next three years, I envisage an exciting future for the Fund as we seek to broaden and deepen its support and assistance to victims of trafficking all over the world in view of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable segment of our society"

"Growing up, I was passionate about helping the less privileged in the society. This led me to founding the Julie Donli Kidney Foundation. Through this Foundation we have helped hundreds of women and children with kidney issues get treatment."

"I thought that it’s apt because each time a woman gives birth she puts her life on the line. Giving birth is a service to the nation and contribution to national development; so we don’t want a situation where a woman puts her life on the line because she wants to contribute to nation building and that’s why we are adopting this labour ward and FIDA is contributing in ensuring that every woman who gives birth as much as possible, the incidents of death arising from giving birth and other maternity issues are reduced."

"When a woman is giving birth, she is helping to build the nation. She is contributing to national development. A woman should not pay the price with her life because she’s giving birth.”"

"We are not just here to promote but also to facilitate and if we succeed, Nigeria will succeed. I am too old to japa and I can’t go anywhere."

"I owe a lot to my upbringing, education, experience and family support system. I was brought up in a conservative Northern Muslim home, where both my parents were accomplished professionals. From a young age, my parents encouraged all their children (male and female) to seek knowledge and supported us in whatever career choices we made. Education and hard work were emphasized as the key to success."

"I am not here to reinvent the wheel. The wheel is there. We just have to make it work. We have to oil it. We have to grease it. We have to put everything we can to make this machine work. Because like I said earlier, if we succeed, Nigeria succeeds, and we will all be part of this success story."

"The Ministry of Justice has already designated a gender desk officer who will prepare all legal documents for legal action for victims. Also, all the officials that will work at the centre have already been trained with support from the Department For International Development (DFID)."

"The impact of the challenge includes limited access to justice, reduced accountability, discouragement of activism, undermining international commitments and erosion of public trust"

"You will achieve if you persistently go for what you believe in, particularly if it enhances people’s lives,When you make a difference and add value to society, it is so fulfilling – you get enormous strength from places you don’t expect, enabling you to do the job."

"Mrs. Suleiman, our pioneer female director, is a sound professional with high personal integrity, and brings with her, many years of managerial experience from both the corporate and governmental perspectives. Indeed, the Board of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc is optimistic that Mrs. Suleiman’s wealth of experience would be of great benefit to the Company."

"She has worked in many different sectors of the Nigerian government during the past 10 years. She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development in 2008 and went on to become the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 2010"

"“Unfortunately, the majority of Nigerians, especially the youths who fought with patriotism to reset their country through the ballot box, are now wondering if elections have not become the tool for legitimizing the corrupt takeover of Nigeria. This dark cloud of angst arising from a terribly mismanaged 2023 general elections has jolted the confidence and hope of many Nigerians, thus propelling us as Citizens of Conscience to take the bold step of beginning to resist and mitigate the intended and unintended crisis looming over our dear country.Therefore, we condemn the outright manipulation of the electoral process and abdication of responsibility by INEC as it has not only destroyed trust in the democratic process, but has rewarded wrongdoing, making it possible for persons of stupendous wealth, who lack legitimacy, to become the real beneficiaries of our electoral process."

"I am a member of the National Assembly inclined to make changes happen in the National Assembly but I will not succeed, I know it, I regret it, I sympathise with myself that I will not succeed. Why? Because I do not form a critical mass.I will remain an obedient participant without necessarily doing what they are doing. That is the reality. In politics you have to belong somewhere and that is why you have to stand on the platform of the party, you don’t (stand) outside of it and you have to represent it somehow."

"The number of poor people have rather increased. Nigerians should run away from APC because they have compounded the socio-economic woes of Nigerians. Vote them out of power"

"There is no wholesome condemnation or commendation because there is no society that is wholly good or wholly bad, If you want to change that situation, you have to come in there and change it, If we do not have a dominant counter force in the system, the system will continue to support its own, it will continue to define itself in the way it is defined. The beneficiaries of the system will continue to benefit from the system."

"The other reason you can read into things like this is some level of hostility over something. I am not suggesting I know of any problem between both countries but it’s not unusual for countries to harden their stance towards each other, to draw attention to something that is probably hurting one party at another level. I think we may have to look beyond the surface."

"There are inhibitors which make it difficult for women to come out. The first thing you are told when you come into politics is to go and bring your money, you this prostitute! So the whole engagement with women takes more than ordinary courage to come out and become part of what is happening in governance. It is not an easy journey for women and society is not making it easier. So these bills are attempting to make it easier for women to come out. We are asking the National Assembly to step back, take a deep breath, reflect again on the five clauses that we wanted."

"So, when you’re voting, you’re not voting the individual but the party, which will in turn ensure women comprise 35% of the list created for position. In every country where an increase in governance has happened for women, the party list was used. Now, it is left for voters to look at the party list and decide to vote for a party based on their likeness for whoever catches their fancy on the party list. So, the seats won by each party will now be proportionally distributed to candidates, but ensuring by law that 35% of the distribution goes to women."

"Often times in Nigeria we say we have a lot of educated graduates but we haven’t looked at the content of these graduates in terms of the know-how. If you go today and say look I’m having a problem with my maize. This year something is eating up the leaves of my maize, caterpillars or worms or something… And you say you’re looking for people who know what to do in Nigeria, it will amaze you that with all the graduates in agriculture you wouldn’t find someone who knows what to do."

"We have a prebendal politics, we reward people producing little based on loyalty which is rewarded , and this produces a dysfunctional system where people for instance in the Civil Service are rewarded not on the bases of work done but it is based on those who you favour and nobody is held responsible for things like leakages because everything goes"

"The future of international arbitration in Africa looks incredibly promising. With the increasing legislative changes, the growing importance of third-party funding and investment arbitration, there are exciting opportunities and positive developments in the use of arbitration as a dispute settlement mechanism in Africa."

"All countries in Africa are busy trying to attract foreign investments. You will agree with me that without international arbitration, there cannot be foreign investors. In any jurisdiction, arbitration is one of the viable components for attracting foreign investors."

"We want to ask ourselves hard questions. We want to examine our journey so far because the international arbitration community [once] believed that Africans did not have the intellectual competence to resolve the disputes.But today we are saying that the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators is the fastest-growing branch and we have many people that are qualified to act as counsel and arbitrators. When I began as an arbitrator over 10 years ago, Africans were not welcome. But that has changed. So, what are our prospects for the next 10 years?"

"It is noteworthy that about 21 countries around the world are currently governed by women. Apart from politics and governance, women have also profoundly achieved groundbreaking feats in various fields such as medicine, law, economics, sports, space, technology, media and entertainment. Only recently, our own Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed the Director General of the World Trade Organization, making her the first woman and first African to occupy that position."

"For decades, women and ethnic minorities have faced discrimination and disadvantage in arbitrator appointments, on the narrative that there is a dearth of qualified Arbitrators in Africa. I am happy to state that, the narrative certainly does not hold water today, as even this hall is filled with highly qualified Arbitrators of African descent"

"NAPTIP shall remain resolute in its mission to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice. The agency shall continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safer and better society."

"If a sponsor facilitates your travel, you will be forced to do any job to pay off your sponsor before earning money for yourself."

"Let us all see the issue of human trafficking as our problem. As at today, every state in Nigeria is affected, though trend, patten and the propotionality may differ but everyone is affected. As a Nigerian, if you see something, say something by reporting, educate yourself on issue of human trafficking, and know what the red signs are."

"What this means is people are speaking up now. What use to be a norm in the past? What we think is a thing of culture; people don’t take it anymore. We see children falling out on their own parents. The scariest part of it all is that, initially we see these perpetrators trying to justify their actions. To them, it is part of parenthood that needs to imbibe certain ways of upbringing. So apart from humans having a tendency to just be evil, the reality is that parents need to be highly educated on parenting especially single mothers/ single parenting needs programmes; sustainable programmes"

"Education is not just a tool for preventing trafficking; it is a shield that empowers individuals to recognize the signs and protect themselves and others"

"with this film, many Nigerians particularly young ones who are desirous of going abroad for greener pastures by whatever means will learn a lesson of two. We hope to reach millions of people everyday with the message to that they should be vigilant.We are hoping when schools resume, we will have the opportunity to show this movie to them. Just like what was shared during the panel discussion, you find people trafficked out for cultural purposes, sporting activities underlining the reasons why they are taken out of the country, including for the purpose of organ removal. The trafficking in persons Prohibition and enforcement Act, Section 20 clearly criminalises any form of trafficking"

"There is a strong nexus between trafficking and sports and we know that young people are involved in sporting activities, this was why we thought it was important to dwell on sports to create this awareness. We are collaborating with other partners, agencies to carry out this sports sensitisation, not just to sensitise the young people but also sensitise their parents for them to be able to recognise the red flag."

"The fact remains, while technology has come as a great relief and a major boost in the way of life of people, the same has left much to be concerned about because human traffickers have also caught on to this digital transformation. There is a shift from physical recruitment to virtual recruitment through virtual assessment of victims and proxy negotiations."

"Everywhere in the world there is poverty. So, there are people who have need for good education. And the more education we give to people, the more light we bring into our communities."

"Women are the backbone of any family. Therefore, we are the foundation of any society. When we get it right at the level of the family, things will be right with the society. When the society is troubled, then the problem actually started from the family. When we get it right in the family, everything finds its place in the society. My message to mothers is to be supportive of their husbands and every member of the family."

"I think men will take it more seriously when you come up with such legislation. I hope a man in the House of Reps or Senate sponsors a bill like that."

"I cannot think of anything better than having legislation that whatever part of your body you use on a child while defiling the child, that part should be cut off. If it is your finger, if it is your mouth, if it is your private parts. I think men will take it more seriously when you come up with such LEGISLATION. I hope a man in the House of Reps or Senate sponsors a bill like that."

"I belong to the kitchen, I belong to the living room and I belong to every room created by God. So also other women. We are created by God to do more. In my own case as a judicial officer, I also belong to the courtroom. Other women belong to different rooms, depending on their professional calling."

"Power belongs to God and he gives it to whoever he wishes and desires at his own time."

"In leading the younger generation, we must instill in them utmost respect for the rule of law and constituted authorities."

"We must continue to make sacrifice for the good of all of us and our country."

"“Her death is a huge loss not only to the female gender activist community but to the country as a whole. Our condolences to her family, friends, National Assembly and government and people of Taraba State.”"

"First Female Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly delivered a bouncing baby on Saturday."

"What God cannot do doesn’t exist."

"If I want God to answer me, I have to forgive and let go of so many things."

"You cannot be the judge in your own case but the records are there."

"Someone must be bold enough to challenge the status quo."

"If God says this is the place I am taking you to, people may try; people may do whatever they feel they can, if they succeed in doing anything, you cannot blame them."

"In life, you can never choose for God; you can’t say that this is what I am going to be."

"You cannot stop people from saying whatever they want to say; everybody is entitled to their own opinion."

"There is no way you can quickly say bye bye to politics, most especially if you are born into politics."

"No, once you are in politics, you are there, you don’t quit. There is no way you can quickly say bye bye to politics, most especially if you are born into politics. It is very hard for a politician to quit politics; you will have your followers and supporters."

"MEMBER of the House of Representaives, Ms Temi Harriman has called on the Federal Government to widen its recent dialogue with Ijaw militant, Alhaji Asari Dokubo into a national conference involving all ethnic groups in the country."

"Harriman (PDP, Warri, Fed. Constituency, Delta) in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday said the urgency of a national conference had become imperative with the recent involvement of the presidency in brokering peace between the hitherto feuding Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) and the Niger Delta Vigilante Force (NDVF)."

"My dad was in good spirit until he was taken into the theatre"

"Senator Omo-Agege’s call is especially welcome at this time and must be supported by all legislators and the operating companies in order to ensure that balance between the community and the companies,”"

"My position was based on the fact that virtually all parts of the Niger Delta and indeed other geo-political zones of the country had contending issues with which to discuss with government."

"Last year, on Saturday, 14th September 2019, at approximately 5:52 pm, a fire broke out in my house at No 15, Justice Lawal Uwais Street, Asokoro, Abuja. Many of my documents were lost in the fire, including which was my NYSC certificate. Therefore, I am writing to apply for the replacement of my NYSC Certificate that was lost in the fire incident."

"I don’t know what you have heard. There have been so many different accounts of that particular situation. The fact that I am sitting here means that I didn’t do anything wrong. But I have not come out to set the record straight as to what happened. The social media has just run rife with different accounts."

"The matter had been adjudicated and one day, I will come out with my account. I have probably done more NYSC than you (presenter). I have done at least two NYSCs in my life."

"I think what I owe Nigerians is to say that I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t break the law. The NYSC I did and finished. That is the much I can tell you. Everything I did was by the law."

"I’m more purpose-driven and I have a sense of direction. Now I know what is real and what is not."

"I’m so delighted and so excited to receive this award. I had no idea and didn’t expect it at all. I’m very humbled that an institution I worked in as a part time law lecturer all those years ago and studied in where people invested in me and help develop me have remembered me in this sway."

"I am absolutely speechless and humbled to receive this wonderful news. Looking back at my 23year old self who arrived in Wales I could not have imagined this moment. Having worked so hard to gain acceptance, to have been mentored by so many amazing people and believe ever so strongly – that by God’s grace, hard work and determination pays off – I thank whoever nominated me and honestly can’t describe how humbled and delighted I am to receive this news from the brilliant WEN Wales team"

"I want to say to all the students – believe in yourself, work extremely hard, never take no for an answer, keep pounding on those doors and be prepared that you will fail at some thimngs and that is actually ok because you learn but never ever give up. I believe if you keep going and follow the lessons you’ve learned at this University the sky is our limit."

"Thank you all so much for inspiring me – diolch yn fawr from a truly grateful Welsh Nigerian woman."

"Andrew and I met at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus Law School lecture hall in 1989. Andrew was a dashing young and extremely handsome man with a bright future ahead of him. Andrew comes from a mixed heritage background – his mum Letty is from a white English / Jewish heritage and his dad Charles is a black Nigerian man. He was highly sought after by many young ladies in our university and by other young women within his circle of friends not just for his dashing good looks and charming personality, but he had an outstanding academic background."

"Andrew had achieved a First Class Hons Degree in Law from the University of Jos and qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor at the Law School in Victoria Island Lagos -graduating with the best overall result in the Nigerian Law School in his year 1981. He was awarded the Teslim Elias Prize for “The Best Overall Performance” at the Nigerian Law School and was also awarded a second prize which was the Nabo Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial Law at the Nigerian Law in the same year. At 25yrs he produced a well acclaimed thesis on, “Legal Pluralism in the Land Law of Southern Nigeria” and achieved a PHD in Law from Birmingham University UK in 1987."

"Andrew was a brilliant, intelligent and well-read young man and was serving at the time as the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law at Enugu Campus. He was lecturing within the Law school at the time and taught my classmates and I the much dreaded “Equity Law”. He was noted as UNEC’s most eligible bachelor and many of the ladies in our class gawked at Andrew, wanting to date him, marry him – whatever… well so did I. He was 28yrs old and I was 20yrs old."

"I can honestly say that I heard nothing, saw nothing, and understood nothing - apart from staring in awe at the face of the gorgeous Dr Iwobi! I was so lost in wonder that Tessy nudged me a few times and said, “Uzo! stop this at once and face your book ooo, with all the people interested in him – such a man will definitely have a lady in his life”. I totally ignored Tessy and stared at him for the entire lesson – I do not recall writing anything down during that first lesson."

"As you may guess, I got only a C for Equity Law following the assessment that year (but later when we got engaged) I asked him why he had given me such a low score when I did so well at the other law subjects, he said (with an amused grin), “I didn’t give you a C, you deserved a C – you probably hardly listened during my lectures – you were too busy admiring the lecturer”! I have not let him forget that he marked my paper extremely harshly! That was how we met!"

"I was a rather plain and ordinary young lady – who always had a passion for justice and equity (no pun intended)! I had a spring in my step and worked hard to do well in my studies and graduate as a Law graduate. I recall that early in my third year of Law studies in UNEC, we had to study some core law subjects, one of which was “Equity Law” taught by our then Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law called Dr Andrew Ubaka Iwobi. At this point, I had never seen this lecturer in passing so had no idea who he was."

"When my friend Tessy Ohahuru and I walked into our very first Equity Law Lecture (a little late) Dr Iwobi looked up (his irritation palpable at the disruption to his lectures by the “two late stragglers” – as he called us both; all I could do was return his gaze, but mine was in pure unadulterated puppy love!) and I turned and whispered to Tessy – “There is the man that I will marry”! Dr Iwobi then sternly reprimanded us for turning up late and asked us to sit down quickly and then stated that next time that happened, we had to stand outside as we would not be allowed in. He said, “No stragglers will be allowed into my lecture”."

"Thus severely reprimanded and absolutely embarrassed, we sat down quickly and throughout that Equity lesson, prayed earnestly that he would forget our first meeting. It was not a favourable introduction and so I sat down quickly beside Tessy who promptly settled down and started taking notes as the lecture progressed."

"People today cannot afford to feed themselves. So many children are out of school. The hospitals are abandoned because they are unapproachable. These are issues that affect the electorate."

"Whoever is in power needs to be told the truth and that is the basis of all religions."

"If animals celebrate the death of a butcher, has the knife also died? If beneficiaries of the mandate of the people are defecting, have the people also defected?"

"It is unimaginable that someone who held a high-ranking federal position for eight years now resorts to desperate deception to fulfil a personal political ambition."

"The setting up of the paramilitary organization called “Amotekun” is illegal and runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law."

"As a consequence of this, no State Government, whether singly or in a group has the legal right and competence to establish any form of organization or agency for the defense of Nigeria or any of its."

"Nigeria has a stunted growth in all parameters in the measurement of the growth of a country. We are stunted because by now we should be running, but we are hardly crawling."

"Your character and humility have kept us thinking that you came from another planet. Your humility makes us happy, you have protected the image of this university and we are impressed"

"My path to studying law was not as straightforward. I actually studied Law by mistake. And that is easily the best mistake I have ever made."

"I find both law teaching and practice to be equally stimulating and fulfilling"

"Africa’s future can be built on three institutions, and I have been involved in all. The AfDB, obviously, is the primary institution which is a partnership between Africa and an African interest. Then you have the Cairo-based African Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank), which primarily deals with short-term trade finance. And you have the AFC as the third leg of that tripod which should provide infrastructure financing."

"We are in partnership with institutions such as the African Export and Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) where the primary focus is trade financing."

"I think infrastructure should form the bases for adding value to commodities and then using that as a platform for exporting finished products rather than raw materials."

"I have always been a loyalist. If they are just realising that now, then they have not been part of us from the genesis."

"It is not a sin to have an ambition."

"I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional, but in doing that, you must follow due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic."

"The situation in Plateau State is not too different from other states, though the context of our security challenges differs by zone"

"Plateau State is one of the most blessed lands in the country. Our advantage in agriculture is God-given. Ninety percent of what we used to call Irish potatoes is produced here. We have renamed it Plateau potatoes, because I think we deserve the exclusive rights in the propagation and production of potatoes."

"The most important thing was that we started with an open mind. We had a plan, but we understood that the only thing constant in life is change. And that we had to be flat-footed so that we could adjust to the world because we’re not building a company that will be in isolation with what the realities are. We also knew that there will be changes because of growth and we were prepared for it. So every step of the way where we were mindful of what’s happening around us, and adjusting accordingly for optimization."

"It’s been herculean. It’s been very tough because we’re doing what hasn’t been done before. There was no model. So, when you do what hasn’t been done before, it means that people can use you as a guinea pig. They learn quickly from your mistakes so they don’t have to make them and they can quickly leapfrog from the right things that you have done. So, it’s been tough, but rewarding. And I think that the reason we’ve been able to survive is because of the people of The Temple, my colleagues. There have been changes because not many people who started this journey with us are still here. Somehow, along the way, we’ve been able to find and work with people who share ideals and values with us, people who believe in the vision and the dream. And so at every point of the way, it’s always been the people. Also importantly, the funding because without the resources all you can just do is to plan. So, we’ve had the resources as well, and the people. Thanks to the board and the investors in The Temple Company who have helped us to continue to forge ahead."

"I would like to say that we are firm believers in doing, which makes us doers and not talkers because talk is cheap. So every time that there’s been a need, we have gone out to find a way to get something done about it and fill that need. With regards to infrastructure, when stakeholders were complaining about lack of world-class studio facilities, we went on to build ours. Today, we are very proud of Ogidi Studios. And that’s not to say that there are no other studios, some of which are in operation while others are in development."

"And like I said, when we launched Ogidi Studios; it was the best at the time and still the best in my humble opinion. And the studio that will be better than Ogidi Studios will still be developed by The Temple Company and it is coming. You can watch this space. With regards to capacity building, right from when we founded this company, we have run master-classes at no cost to attendees and in partnership with thought-leaders in the industry across different areas. We recently partnered with the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the University of Lagos and the Henley Business School to train about 1000 people, physically and virtually. We trained people in sound design, production design, songwriting, media studies and filmmaking, etc Again, we just go out and get things done. So, are we where we want to be? No. However, we’re in a better place. We intend to train some more in partnership with the Lagos State government and the Federal government of Nigeria. The more we address the deficits in talent, skill, and infrastructure, the better industry will be, and the better our economy will be."

"Considering the obvious fact that you came from public service to the entertainment creative space to disrupt the norm, how well or bad would you say you have done on a scale of one to 10 and then why?"

"If you reflect on your question and the value that you quoted, it just shows you the potential for growth. What is going to happen when we do everything professionally? In the creative industry, unprofessionalism is also a word that is relative because there are really no rules. Let’s take music for instance, sometimes the music that you make on your phone in the middle of the night that you think is not refined might be the one to win you awards. Meanwhile, the one that you sat in the studio that took you two weeks, 14 producers and 18 songwriters might not take off. So, every stakeholder spanning the entire stretch of the industry is a potential contributor to the financial size and value of the industry."

"Starting out The Temple Company, one of the talents you had on board is Bisola Aiyeola amongst others but she seems to be the last woman standing after 7 years – albeit doing great exploits – tell me the story behind the synergy."

"Well, it’s not just Bisola that is still with us. But I’ll talk about Bisola as a reference point for all the other talents that are still here after all this while. I think it’s really simple. There are no shortcuts for anybody who signs to The Temple Company intending to cash out real quick. Their expectations will not be met. This is because we believe very strongly in planning, research, and detailing. We also understand that it’s actually a long game. Your intention is not to have a career that is going to last for one year. So it is something that we have to continue to build. There are many ‘yeses’ that you will not be happy to say that you must say and there are many ‘nos’ that you would have to say that in the short term might not make a lot of sense to you as a talent. So again, it is about shared vision, goals and mutual understanding that every day will not be Christmas. So we’ll be there with you during the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’. There’s also the fact that our talent services are divided into two, management, and agency clients. For management clients, it is a 360 service that is also exclusive. However, our agency clients are at liberty to sign multi-agency agreements. When we find things that suit you, we’ll reach out to you. You earn, we share."

"Again, it is always about the people. Everything revolves around people. The people in government need us outside the government and the people outside the government need the people in government. So, we’re partners in progress. I did work in the public sector, so it gives me some experience. However, I don’t think it gives us any unfair advantage. I think what it has just done is that it makes us better prepared to help solve problems. Now that I am wearing the shoes of the private sector, it also helps me to know where the shoes pinches the most and in that regard, I advise the government or make requests that will be beneficial to all parties concerned."

"I will refer to an African proverb that says that if you want to go fast, go alone and if you want to go far, go with people. In any case, collaboration is the new competition. We ask ourselves a lot, what is the value of all of nothing when you can own a part of something. Now, time is also of the essence and it is in our best interest for us to be able to move and to reap the highest number in the quickest possible time. So collaboration is critical. And I mean, we just had to try it. So, once we find people who want the same things as us, or share our values, we are always eager to work with them for the greater good. So, it’s not about me or about The Temple Company, it is about Lagos, Nigeria, Africa and the world. And when it is about the world, we can go that extra mile to get the best results."

"Well, I don’t think we have really started yet. We’re only scratching the surface at the moment. I don’t think I’m going to feel like I’ve been able to achieve anything until our studio lot is done and we can embark on multi-million-dollar productions of international franchises in Lagos or Nigeria. Until when we can have a production of global standards with a budget of over $200 million, being executed in Lagos or any part of Nigeria, then we haven’t started. I think if you look at the average budget of a film project in global economies such as North America and the UK, it is worth sometimes everything that we have put out in the month. So until when we are able to accommodate that. I’m talking about when we have our film city or film village. At that stage when we can be carrying out multiple projects on a daily and monthly basis. When we can have the capacity to fully engage the majority of the young Nigerians who are keen on participating in the creative industry, then maybe I will feel special but right now, I just feel like there’s a lot more to get done. We are playing our part, we are adding our own quota. We are pushing the limits. We are going to continue to lead in any and every way that is positive. So, how do I feel? I feel like there is a long way ahead and we will get it done by God."

"I’m excited because the things that need to be done on a national scale have been done at the sub-national level in Lagos. The incoming president is exposed. He understands the power of the creative industry. He understands the power of tourism, and has played a significant role in the creative industry when he was the Governor of Lagos state. A lot of the things that we have done in Lagos just need to be replicated in other places. We have done the testing and it works. So it excites me what this incoming administration has to do. So I think his previous experience in governance will come to play in our favour."

"So we have a few projects that are coming on in television, film, and concerts. Some of them I can talk about and some of them I can’t talk about yet. There’s something huge coming up in December in Lagos. ‘Introducing the Kujus’ won an AMVCA award last year and we have done a sequel called ‘The Kujus Again’. This time the movie features Don Jazzy who is appearing for the first time in a movie. We’re also going to go into the production of a series for young people that touches on culture, Lagos, tourism etc, principal photography begins in May."

"We also just finished filming Ward 10, a limited series that will be released on one of the Video on Demand (VOD) platforms later in the year. ‘I Am Number’ with Bisola is coming as well as ‘Naija Meter’ with Mimi Onalaja. My guys and I have been busy. And then of course, also coming is the film city or village that we are going to lead and deliver over the next few years and perhaps decade."