Mrs. Funmi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), has criticised what she describes as male-dominated leadership for contributing to Nigeria’s persistent leadership and security challenges, urging greater inclusion of women in governance. Her remarks were made during a Christmas outreach event at the Erelu Angela Adebayo Children’s Home in Iyin Ekiti.
Mrs. Falana argued that the marginalisation of women in public office has left the country struggling under leadership she characterised as lacking compassion, honesty and effective governance. She said female leaders, with their emphasis on fiscal integrity and empathy, could offer a distinctly positive alternative to traditional leadership models.
Addressing the ongoing security crisis, Mrs. Falana highlighted the particularly vulnerable position of women and children, noting that homes and schools are increasingly unsafe amid kidnappings and banditry. She suggested that a lack of compassionate, inclusive leadership has exacerbated national insecurity and widened inequities in child welfare and education access.
The legal advocate also urged Nigerians to rethink governance structures and increase women’s participation in decision-making roles as a step toward addressing chronic issues such as insecurity, poverty and institutional neglect. Her comments add to growing conversations across civil society about improving representation and accountability in Nigeria’s political system.
