Widely regarded as a trailblazer and a role model for women in leadership, Hon. Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, CFR, served as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 2009-2012.
On Tuesday, March 7, Adekeye spoke at Trinity Western University’s Langley campus, sharing with students, staff, and faculty her personal experience as a Christian woman who helped to break the glass ceiling in the judiciary of Nigeria.
She provided insights to young adults seeking to advance in leadership,and especially young women who are striving for excellence.
Adekeye was the first woman to rise to the High Court of Ondo and Ekiti States, and the second woman (and first in Southern Nigeria) to rise to the Supreme Court of Nigeria – which is the highest court in the country.
Her accomplishments have inspired many others to pursue their dreams, advance in leadership, and serve society with their gifts, training, and potential.
The retired justice’s talk also wraps up TWU’s month-long celebration of Black History Month, which included a talk by Aklilu Mulat (TWU’s senior vice-president of business operations and CFO) on his Ethiopian heritage, a campus games night hosted by the student-led Afro-Caribbean Club, and a celebratory event featuring music by TWU’s Black History Month Choir and the Kara-Kata Afrobeat Band from Vancouver.
Adekeye’s Tuesday speech addressed themes of education, persistence in the face of challenges, and applying one’s training and talent for the benefit of society.
Upon receiving an honourary certificate from TWU’s president Mark Husbands, Adekeye dedicated the gift to the United Nations, for its role in affirming the equal rights of men and women and in promoting the empowerment of women around the world.
Born 1942 in Ilesha, Osun State, Adekeye attained her primary education at St. Andrews Primary School in Ondo State and her secondary education at St. Anne’s School in Ibadan, Oyo State.
She went on to Northwestern Polytechnic, Leeds University, and Sheffield College of Commerce, in the United Kingdom before attending the Nigerian Law School between 1967 and 1968 when she was called to the Nigerian bar and admitted into legal practice in Nigeria.
She commenced legal practice in the City of Ibadan between 1968 and 1970, following which she was appointed as state counsel, Western State Ministry of Justice, Ibadan — a position she held until 1974, when she was appointed chief magistrate grade II in Ondo State, one of the first women to hold this position and the first in the history of Ondo State.
She was appointed as the first female high court judge in the history of Ondo State in 1987.
She later moved to Ekiti State in 1996, becoming the first woman to become a high court judge in that state’s history.
In 1998, she was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal as a Lord Justice of Appeal first in Ibadan division, then followed by Enugu and Abuja divisions.
In 2008, she was made a presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin, and in 2009, was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, becoming only the second woman in the history of Nigeria to ascend to the highest court in Nigeria.
Here, she was to serve from 2009 to 2012. She also had the auspicious honour of following her husband to the highest bench, thus making history as the first couple to serve at the Supreme Court at one time or the other, in African history.
Following her retirement as a justice of the Supreme Court, she was appointed as a commissioner for the Police Service Commission in 2013 where she served till 2018, when she finally retired from public life after 48 years of service.
As a trailblazer, her Lordship was involved in the unification of the criminal code and penal code in Nigeria (1990-1992), and headed several tribunals for the determination of election cases and appeals from 1998 until 2008.
Adekeye has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, including a distinguished career award from New York; International Federation of Women Lawyers award; national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
In 2013, she became only the second woman to be conferred with the third highest national honour in Nigeria, which is the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
Her Lordship is a Fellow Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom) and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. She is also the Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Jebba, Nigeria.
As a grandmother and great grandmother, Adekeye’s hobbies and interests include music, reading, travelling, and Christian evangelism.
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