The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA Nigeria, Abuja Branch, has transformed its 35th anniversary celebration into a deliberate exercise in institutional memory, mentorship and intergenerational leadership.
At its FIDA Abuja @35 Legacy Picnic, held on October 3, 2026, at Sarius Palmetum Garden, Maitama, Abuja, senior members and younger FIDAns gathered for an afternoon built around storytelling, professional reflection, honour and the transfer of hard-earned lessons from one generation of women lawyers to another. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Unlike a conventional anniversary reception, the programme was designed around a simple but consequential idea: that an institution does not preserve its future merely by celebrating its past, but by ensuring that the knowledge, mistakes, discipline and values of its pioneers are deliberately passed on.
That philosophy became the defining character of the event.
Honouring the Women Who Carried the Torch
The Chairperson of the FIDA Abuja @35 Planning Committee, Dr. Princess Frank-Chukwani, formally welcomed and recognised the elders of the Branch, describing them as women who had carried the institutional torch and handed it to succeeding generations.
Those recognised included Chief Mrs. Victoria Olufunmilayo Awomolo, SAN; Mrs. Amina Suzanna Agbaje; Chief Mrs. Enwerem; Chief Mrs. Stella Odife; Mrs. Ruth Zikachat Kaburuk Badung; Mrs. Roseline Obiageli Nwosu, and other senior members of the Branch. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
The significance of the moment was not ceremonial alone.
The programme was deliberately structured so younger FIDAns could listen, ask questions and draw practical lessons on career development, leadership, resilience, family life, public service and professional growth.
Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko: ‘We Must Learn From Those Who Came Before Us’
The Chairperson of FIDA Nigeria Abuja Branch, Mrs. Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, used her address to connect the Branch’s present achievements to the contributions of the women who helped build it over the past 35 years.
She credited successive elders with providing guidance, contacts, encouragement, institutional knowledge and leadership that strengthened both FIDA Abuja and its work for women and children.
Her message to younger members was clear: progress does not require every generation to begin again from zero.
She described the Legacy Picnic as an opportunity for younger women lawyers to sit at the feet of those who had gone ahead, learn from their victories and mistakes, and prepare themselves for the next phase of FIDA Abuja’s journey. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
‘If I Knew Then’: Lessons That Could Not Be Found in a Textbook
The heart of the programme was the “If I Knew Then” Legacy Conversation, during which senior FIDA members spoke candidly about choices, setbacks, reinvention and the realities behind professional achievement. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Stella Odife: Law Can Open More Doors Than You Imagine
Chief Mrs. Stella Odife reflected on an unconventional professional journey that moved from education into law, advocacy, politics and later back into legal practice.
She spoke about raising a family, changing career direction and eventually entering politics, where she faced resistance and difficult experiences.
Her central message was that a legal education remains a powerful foundation capable of opening doors across several areas of public and professional life.
She encouraged women lawyers not to underestimate the value of their training, to consider political and leadership roles, and to remain adaptable when one path closes.
Her contribution carried added poignancy because the event coincided with the 11th anniversary of her husband’s death, yet she chose to spend the day sharing lessons with younger women. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Victoria Awomolo, SAN: Consistency, Mentorship and Continuous Learning
For Chief Mrs. Victoria Olufunmilayo Awomolo, SAN, the message was one of discipline.
She recounted moving from chemistry and teaching into legal practice after about a decade in education and spoke frankly about the difficulty of balancing family responsibilities with professional advancement.
Her advice to younger lawyers was practical: remain consistent, learn under experienced practitioners, find mentors, expose yourself to real courtroom and professional work, pursue further education and continue developing your competence.
She also cautioned against allowing unrelated commercial activities to distract from professional development where there is no strong structure to support both.
For Awomolo, sustainable legal success is built through determination, learning, faith and deliberate professional focus. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
She further drew attention to the professional rules governing lawyers who combine practice with other professions or business interests, urging practitioners to understand and observe the applicable ethical boundaries. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Build a Name Before You Build a Title
Mrs. Roseline Obiageli Nwosu brought the conversation back to professional reputation.
Drawing from her long career, including experience at the Corporate Affairs Commission, she described a durable professional brand as one built on integrity, competence, hard work, trustworthiness, respect and consistency.
Her message was that careers are not remembered only for positions occupied, but also for how people were treated along the way.
She urged younger lawyers to invest in their own development rather than waiting for employers or institutions to train them, stressing that knowledge acquired at one stage of life can become unexpectedly valuable later.
She also offered one of the strongest leadership lessons of the afternoon: when an opportunity comes, create opportunities for others. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Ruth Badung Pushes Conversation Beyond Career Success
Mrs. Ruth Zikachat Kaburuk Badung widened the discussion beyond conventional professional advancement.
She called for deliberate efforts to increase the representation of women in leadership within the legal profession and encouraged women across different regions to prepare themselves for future leadership roles.
Her intervention also addressed family life, politics, mental health, suicide prevention and the need for FIDA’s advocacy to pay greater attention to the boy child.
On relationships, she urged women to exercise wisdom and patience while remaining alert to abuse and serious warning signs, and to seek support rather than suffer in silence. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Pro Bono Work as Professional Formation
Another major intervention came from Mrs. Tinuola Kukoyi Kosoko, who focused on professional responsibility and service.
She urged younger lawyers to take pro bono work seriously, not simply as charity, but as a valuable route to practical legal experience, professional growth and meaningful public service.
She also emphasised humility, respect for senior colleagues, solidarity among lawyers, careful handling of cases and support for colleagues facing difficulty.
Her message challenged the idea that professional value should always be measured immediately in money, arguing instead that service can produce long-term professional, personal and social returns. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
FIDA Membership Must Mean More Than Wearing the Name
Mrs. Onyenucheya-Uko later returned to the subject of service and challenged members to consider what value they personally bring to FIDA.
She argued that membership should go beyond carrying the organisation’s name or appearing at events; members should serve actively through committees, programmes and other institutional structures.
She also addressed marriage and social expectations, warning women against allowing marital status to become the measure of their worth.
According to the Branch Chairperson, women — married or unmarried — remain complete in themselves and should not enter unsuitable relationships simply to satisfy social expectations. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Women Supporting Women — Even After Competition
One of the strongest institutional messages of the picnic came from Programme Moderator Mojirayo Ogunlana, who encouraged members to treat relationships formed within FIDA as strategic and potentially enduring.
She urged women not to allow leadership contests to become permanent divisions.
Members may compete, she said, but when the contest ends, they must return to a shared sisterhood and continue supporting one another.
The point struck at a recurring weakness in professional organisations: competition for leadership can outlive the election itself and fracture institutions long after votes have been counted.
FIDA Abuja’s message was different — competition should end; solidarity should not. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
More Than a Picnic
The event also featured a symbolic cake-cutting ceremony, honour notes to senior members, a toast to the elders and gifts to the first 35 FIDAns who arrived and remained throughout the programme. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU… OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU… OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
But its deeper significance lay elsewhere.
Across the different speeches and conversations, several themes repeatedly emerged: institutional memory, consistency, mentorship, continuous learning, integrity, meaningful service, pro bono work, solidarity among women, resilience and leadership that deliberately creates opportunities for the next generation. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Thirty-five years after its establishment, FIDA Abuja used its anniversary not merely to count years, but to ask a more enduring question:
What must be passed from one generation of women lawyers to another if the institution is to remain stronger than the individuals who temporarily lead it?
The answer that emerged from Maitama was unmistakable.
Institutions survive when they remember.
They grow when they teach.
And they endure when the women who inherit them understand that leadership is not merely about occupying space — but about preparing someone else to stand there next. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE FIDA ABU…
Strong Front-Page Excerpt
Thirty-five years of FIDA Abuja came alive in one extraordinary afternoon as senior women lawyers opened their lives, careers, mistakes and triumphs to a younger generation — producing lessons on leadership, marriage, mentorship, resilience and professional integrity that may prove more valuable than any anniversary speech.
