A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid, Mrs. Funmi Falana, has lamented the impact of the prevailing insecurity in the country on women and children.

She argued that the marginalisation of women in governance has left the country in a “shameful and embarrassing” state. She contended that a shift toward female leadership—rooted in compassion and fiscal honesty—is no longer just a matter of equity, but a necessity for national survival.

Falana, who accused the nation’s leaders of plunging Nigeria into its current security crisis, urged them to rise and resist what she described as “evil” to restore the safety of lives and property.

The human rights lawyer spoke on Sunday in Ado Ekiti during a visit to the Erelu Angela Adebayo Children’s Home, Iyin Ekiti, where she held her annual Christmas party with the children and presented food items and gifts.

She said, “I have come to celebrate Christmas with the children of Erelu Adebayo Children’s Home, an orphanage in Ekiti State, and this is what I do every year. It is a time to give back to society and to let the children here know that they are as important as their contemporaries elsewhere.

“I want to advise Nigerians to emulate this. This is what people of means should be doing. This is where resources should be channelled to impact the lives of the less privileged. Instead of wasting money on frivolities, these are the things that lift souls. This is the desire of God for men and women.”

She added that the failure of leadership in the country had strengthened the call for increased female participation in governance.

“That is why we have continued to say that women are marginalised. We say, let women do it and let us see the difference. Nigeria has continued to have male presidents, and they have continued to fail Nigerians.

“I am saying women can do better because women have the heart of compassion and will be more honest with government resources”, the SAN added.

Speaking further on insecurity, Falana said women and children were the most vulnerable in any society, describing the situation as tragic.

She said, “It is very sad. Even the future is bleak for them. Homes and schools are no longer secure. You see children being picked up by bandits in the northern parts of the country, even from their schools.

“It is unfortunate that these children, who are not responsible for where they were born, find themselves in this situation. I want to tell Nigerians that these children will not forgive them if our leaders do not stand up to resist this evil and defend Nigerians so that we can have proper security.

“It is shameful and embarrassing that we have found ourselves in a situation where foreign forces reportedly launch attacks because our government appears helpless. Our leaders encouraged this mess and brought us to this level.”

She expressed concern over the inability of the country’s leadership to tackle terrorism and its sponsors, describing the situation as “very sad.”

Recall that Falana recently urged President Bola Tinubu to convene an emergency strategy meeting on measures to address the challenges confronting children in Nigeria.

The WELA founder had said in a statement that about 18.5 million Nigerian children are out of school, over 60 per cent of whom—more than 10 million—are girls, noting that Nigeria has the second-highest figure globally, according to UNESCO.

She said the crisis had been compounded by the failure of many state governments to pay counterpart funds required to access the Universal Basic Education Commission’s matching grant of about N135bn.

“As a result, millions of children are forced into early marriage, while others are regularly recruited by terrorist groups, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal gangs,” she said, adding that an estimated three million Nigerians are internally displaced due to poverty, terrorist attacks and climate change.

She recalled that on May 27, 2025, political leaders joined their counterparts worldwide to celebrate Children’s Day, stressing that beyond celebrations, governments at all levels must urgently address the crises confronting children.

“Nigeria has the second-highest number of stunted children in the world, with 37 per cent of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition,” she added. (The PUNCH)

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