With a step after the other, Boma turns a test to testimony 
While it is true that there are certain Nigerians that are not flying the flag of the country high and right in other parts of the world, there are however those doing brilliantly well and are worthy of mention and applause. One of such is Boma Ozobia, a former chairwoman of Women Solicitors in England and Wales. What makes Boma’s ascension to the seat to be unique and worthy of mention is the fact that she is the only African woman and first black to occupy the exalted seat. Not tripped by that achievement? Okay take this again, bet, until now, you never knew that as you read this, Boma, is the president of the Commonwealth Lawyer’s Association -which constitutes 52 countries.
Again, she is the first woman to be president and the first black person to hold this position.Boma has a dual qualification as a lawyer; having qualified to practice law in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. She is also an accredited civil and commercial mediator and member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (UK). Previously, she had served on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Commonwealth Society. But what qualifies her for these lofty heights you ask? Okay take this for starters. Her experience, yes her experience in corporate commercial practice spans well over two decades.
Indeed, there are challenges that female lawyers encounter in their quest at being on top of their job, some which Boma, like others did not escape, but has mercifully scaled through to get to where she is. Hear her share some of them: “Professional women, including those in the legal profession are faced with a number of challenges, particularly so in this jurisdiction - some might suggest. The most obvious of these is the challenge of developing an appropriate strategy to deal with the responsibility they invariably have in their family life as the primary care giver. For the career minded professional woman, the primary objective would be to ensure that this ‘care giver’ role impacts minimally on their responsibilities in the work place.
A less obvious challenge is that of gender-based expectations, from more traditional minded colleagues (of both genders) who will provide you with a ready excuse not to strive as hard as your male colleagues. It is easy to take that soft option and accept the ‘perks’ of being female and therefore, the supposedly weaker sex. This is a latent challenge, as it is invariably counter-productive and will eventually impact on the importance of the tasks assigned to the ‘fragile one.’ Naturally, the less crucial your role, the less likely you are to be considered for promotion, and conversely, the more likely you are to be relegated and redundant.” On the complementary role of the judiciary, legislature and executive arms of government in Nigeria’s democracy, she educates better on their roles. “Our democracy is relatively young. Prior to this current dispensation, we had many years of largely unbroken military dictatorships. Most of our generation have grown up under the military and are conditioned to ‘obey before complain.
’ Thus, it is understandable that it is effectively a steep learning curve for most of us to reason as citizens, rather than subjects. Change is never easy and the radical change in mind-set required to properly engage in the democratic process, even harder than most. Nonetheless, it can be done and there are many tools at our disposal to assist us along the way. One of these tools is the Latimer House Principles developed by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association in conjunction with related organisations and adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in Abuja in 2003. It is a veritable treasure trove, in that, it sets out for us clearly and concisely the guiding principles to enable a balanced relationship between the executive, the judiciary and the legislature. This has been adopted as the desired and acceptable standard for Commonwealth countries. Nigeria has signed up to it and we should ensure these principles guide the relationship and indeed, every interaction between the three arms of government.
“There has been a fair amount of jostling for superiority between the three arms of government although more so between the legislative and the executive arms in the present parliament. This is not in our best interest and it is hoped that such unnecessary competition will be dispensed with in the next parliament. Having said this, I am sanguine about the future and truly believe that the days of military coup d’etats are behind us.” Boma as the former chairwoman of the women solicitors in England and Wales tells more on what it entailed. “There is no denying the fact that women have been historically disadvantaged in the workplace. Organisations like the Association of Women Solicitors (AWS) in England and WISCAR in Nigeria exist to address this inequity through a variety of methods. Presumably, every professional woman, upon careful consideration, would want to work towards correcting this historical inequity.
I am no different in that sense and have been working with my professional organisations to achieve this objective. Chairing the AWS in 2005 was a welcome opportunity to further contribute to this objective. The fact that I was the first black woman and to date, the only Nigerian to serve in this capacity was, incidental.” hat then are her roles as the current President of Commonwealth Lawyer’s Association (CLA)? We asked this obviously brilliant woman of substance and expectedly, she gives it away. Again, hear her: “The CLA exists to promote the rule of law and standards in the profession. These laudable and noble objectives require all hands on deck. Dr Christopher Kolade as our High Commissioner to the Court of St James once said, ‘standards are subject to gravity’ if they are not actively upheld, they will fall.
That is a truism that applies to the raison d’etre of the CLA and I feel duty bound to be a part of the team, working tirelessly to uphold these standards.” Boma meanwhile strongly believes that death penalty should be abolished. A gender cringe… weakness… or what? Okay, hear her explain why she takes to this stand. “The CLA has taken a principled stand on the death penalty, which is essentially abolitionist. Beyond having to communicate the CLA position as the president, I align myself with the CLA on personal principle as I truly believe that human life is sacred and there is no justification for taking a life, regardless of the circumstances or how heinous the crime. That is not to say that crime should not be punished or those who pose a danger to others in society should be left free to continue to constitute a menace. All we are saying is that the death penalty has no place in civilised society.
There are other mechanisms which we can activate to achieve the deterrent or retributive justice that society generally desires.” To live a fulfilled life, one must certainly go through some hurdles but Boma advices that, “you press towards the mark despite all…” reminding that “even the Pentecostal Christians often talk about turning a test into a testimony. This is another way of saying - what does not break you, makes you. The right attitude will keep you on track until you achieve your objective.
Thus, a positive, ‘can do’ attitude is half the battle. It goes without saying that you must set realistic targets in the first place and take a methodical approach to the challenge. A favourite African saying (naturally involving safari animals) is - Q. How do you eat an elephant? A. One bite at a time.” Boma concludes the interview with few insights on the need to strengthen the law system in Nigeria and how best this can be achieved. “The NBA has taken some innovative steps in order to strengthen the practice of law in Nigeria by establishing the sections and fora of the NBA. The Section on Legal Practice is particularly relevant in this regard, thus, much has been done, although much still remains to be done. On balance, the profession is making steady progress as is the country. I am quite optimistic as to the future and look forward to contributing my quota at every opportunity.”
