Before Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, Priscilla Kuye made NBA history as its first female president

• Dame Priscilla Kuye became the Nigerian Bar Association's first female president in 1991.

• She rose through several NBA leadership positions before making history.

• Kuye defended human rights and the rule of law during Nigeria's military era.

• More than three decades later, she remains a respected voice advocating for more women in legal leadership.

With Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya becoming the second elected female president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in over three decades, many Nigerians are just discovering that the association had a woman at its helm long before now.

That woman is Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye, a respected lawyer, human rights advocate and business leader who made history as the first-ever female president of the Nigerian Bar Association between 1991 and 1992.

More than 30 years later, she still remains one of the most influential women in Nigeria's legal profession.

Born on August 18, 1940, in Lagos, Dame Priscilla Kuye comes from a royal family. She is the daughter of Oba Luke Ademola Adekogbe, the traditional ruler of Ijebu-Ikija in present-day Ogun State.

Interestingly, law wasn't her first career choice.

She first trained as a State Registered Nurse (SRN) at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in England before switching careers to study law through the University of London.

She obtained her LL.B. in 1966, trained at Gray's Inn in London, attended the Nigerian Law School and was eventually called to the Nigerian Bar on June 19, 1967.

She started her legal career at Burke and Company before establishing her own law firm, Priscilla O. Kuye & Company, in Lagos in 1970, becoming one of the few Nigerian women at the time to own and run a private legal practice.

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Dame Kuye did not become NBA president overnight.

She steadily climbed through the association's ranks, serving as auditor, financial secretary, treasurer, National Financial Secretary, Third Vice-President, Second Vice-President and eventually First Vice-President.

In 1991, she became the first woman to lead the Nigerian Bar Association, breaking what many considered an impossible barrier in a profession overwhelmingly dominated by men.

Her presidency came during one of Nigeria's most difficult political periods under military rule.

Kuye's tenure was defined by her outspoken defence of human rights and judicial independence.

She led the NBA's efforts to secure the release of detained activists and lawyers popularly known as the "Kuje 5," including Femi Falana, Gani Fawehinmi and Beko Ransome-Kuti.

She also openly criticised the military government's refusal to obey court orders, insisting that the NBA would remain independent despite pressure from the authorities.

Her stance came at a personal cost.

According to accounts of the period, her passport was seized, she was repeatedly invited by security agencies and soldiers reportedly disrupted NBA meetings during her administration.

Political tensions eventually disrupted the association's 1992 conference, leading to a prolonged leadership crisis that affected the NBA for several years.

One of the lesser-known facts about Dame Kuye is that she reportedly declined an appointment to the Court of Appeal in 1992.

Instead, she chose to remain in private legal practice, where she believed she could continue contributing to the profession in her own way.

Over the years, her firm built a strong reputation in commercial law, litigation, intellectual property and corporate legal services.

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Her impact wasn't limited to the legal profession.

She became the first Nigerian president of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, helping strengthen commercial relations between Nigeria and the United States.

She also served as:

• First Regional Vice-President (Africa) of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)

• Vice-President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association

• Member of several national committees on women's rights, governance and child welfare

She also contributed to UNESCO discussions that led to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Dame Kuye's contributions have earned her several recognitions.

In 1981, she was knighted by Pope John Paul II, earning the title Dame.

She is also a Life Bencher, one of the highest honours in Nigeria's legal profession.

In 2024, she was invested as Patron of the NBA Women Forum, where she once again urged female lawyers to contest leadership positions.

Speaking during the ceremony, she called for another woman to emerge as NBA president, stressing that the legal profession still has room for greater gender inclusion.

Although more than three decades passed before Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya emerged to lead the Nigerian Bar Association, Dame Priscilla Kuye's achievement remains one of the biggest milestones in Nigeria's legal history.

She proved that competence, resilience and courage could break barriers in a profession where women were often overlooked.

As conversations around female representation in leadership continue across Nigeria, her story remains a reminder that many of today's victories were built on foundations laid decades ago.