‘How women lawyers can succeed–Justice Eberechi Wike

Wife of Rivers State Governor Justice Eberechi Wike has advised
women lawyers not to see themselves as inferior to their male
counterparts.

According to her, what a male lawyer can do, a female lawyer can
do better.

She said women lawyers ould succeed by being focused, and by
working even harder.

Justice Wike spoke at a session by the Women Forum of the
African Bar Association (AFBA) at its just-concluded yearly
conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

ustice Wike advised women lawyers to choose their husbands
carefully.

Making the wrong choices about a partner, she said, could have
repercussions on a women lawyer’s progress in the legal
profession.

Mrs Wike said women should continue to improve themselves
academically and should not make excuses at the workplace.

“Women must have a clear idea of where they’re going. No one
should be static. Get more education and improve your capacity to
earn more. Do something to improve yourself. Never stop learning.
It is a continuous thing. You can learn by even listening to
news.

“Some women work not because of money but because they want to
feel good about themselves and to improve the society in their own
little ways. Women should invest. Don’t spend all your money on
jewelry,” she said.

According to Mrs Wike, women should not limit themselves. They
should also choose their husbands carefully because “there are men
who want you to depend on them”.

She said every woman ought to be engaged because it would
improve their self-respect and mental health.

“Sitting down at home has a way of affecting you. A woman must
have something she is doing. A woman must be careful the kind of
woman she marries. If you marry a husband who wants a housewife, it
will be difficult to actualise your dreams.

“Always watch your husband’s temperament. Some men may feel
insecure. Nobody is too big to suffer domestic violence. Parents
should teach their children from childhood not to feel superior to
their female siblings, like asking girls to go to the kitchen,” she
said.

Meanwhile, Also, Justice Elsie Johnson has urged women lawyers
to enforce their right in court.

She said they should “be quick” to litigate issues affecting
women rather than complaining.

“Take the matter to court. For instance, why would Nigeria sign
treaties and not domesticate and enforce them? You can go to ECOWAS
court and challenge them. You don’t even need to exhaust local
remedy. Let us name and shame.

“Take the mantle. Go to court and challenge the margina-lisation
of women. You may not win, but someone somewhere could hear you.
It’s also all about the politics of who hears the case,” Justice
Johnson said.

She urged women to choose career in which they have a passion
for.

“A lot of women don’t act like professional lawyers,” she said,
and called for a change in their approach to work so that women can
be reckoned with like their male counterparts.

A Senior Advocate, Prof Ernest Ojukwu, urged women to take up
leadership positions.

He recalled that during his studies at the Nigerian Law School,
no woman law student ran for the student representative council
seat, despite urging them to do so.

Wife of Rivers State Governor Justice Eberechi Wike has advised
women lawyers not to see themselves as inferior to their male
counterparts.

According to her, what a male lawyer can do, a female lawyer can
do better.

She said women lawyers ould succeed by being focused, and by
working even harder.

Justice Wike spoke at a session by the Women Forum of the
African Bar Association (AFBA) at its just-concluded yearly
conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

ustice Wike advised women lawyers to choose their husbands
carefully.

Making the wrong choices about a partner, she said, could have
repercussions on a women lawyer’s progress in the legal
profession.

Mrs Wike said women should continue to improve themselves
academically and should not make excuses at the workplace.

“Women must have a clear idea of where they’re going. No one
should be static. Get more education and improve your capacity to
earn more. Do something to improve yourself. Never stop learning.
It is a continuous thing. You can learn by even listening to
news.

“Some women work not because of money but because they want to
feel good about themselves and to improve the society in their own
little ways. Women should invest. Don’t spend all your money on
jewelry,” she said.

According to Mrs Wike, women should not limit themselves. They
should also choose their husbands carefully because “there are men
who want you to depend on them”.

She said every woman ought to be engaged because it would
improve their self-respect and mental health.

“Sitting down at home has a way of affecting you. A woman must
have something she is doing. A woman must be careful the kind of
woman she marries. If you marry a husband who wants a housewife, it
will be difficult to actualise your dreams.

“Always watch your husband’s temperament. Some men may feel
insecure. Nobody is too big to suffer domestic violence. Parents
should teach their children from childhood not to feel superior to
their female siblings, like asking girls to go to the kitchen,” she
said.

Meanwhile, Also, Justice Elsie Johnson has urged women lawyers
to enforce their right in court.

She said they should “be quick” to litigate issues affecting
women rather than complaining.

“Take the matter to court. For instance, why would Nigeria sign
treaties and not domesticate and enforce them? You can go to ECOWAS
court and challenge them. You don’t even need to exhaust local
remedy. Let us name and shame.

“Take the mantle. Go to court and challenge the margina-lisation
of women. You may not win, but someone somewhere could hear you.
It’s also all about the politics of who hears the case,” Justice
Johnson said.

She urged women to choose career in which they have a passion
for.

“A lot of women don’t act like professional lawyers,” she said,
and called for a change in their approach to work so that women can
be reckoned with like their male counterparts.

A Senior Advocate, Prof Ernest Ojukwu, urged women to take up
leadership positions.

He recalled that during his studies at the Nigerian Law School,
no woman law student ran for the student representative council
seat, despite urging them to do so.