At the 2025 African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Conference held in Enugu on August 27, keynote speaker Frank Nweke II delivered a powerful and thought-provoking address on the theme “Unleash Your Inner Hero – Strategize, Overcome, Evolve.” The gathering, which brought together female legal professionals, policymakers, and advocates, provided a platform to reflect on the indispensable role of women in driving societal transformation. Nweke described women as “the anchor of humanity,” urging them to see heroism not as a rare act of glory but as the everyday choices and sacrifices that shape communities and nations.
In his speech, Nweke drew on the enduring legacy of women who have altered the course of history through courage and resilience. He referenced figures such as Queen Amina of Zazzau, Margaret Ekpo, and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, alongside modern leaders like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Amina Mohammed, noting that their stories demonstrate that women are not only capable of leadership but are vital to national and global progress. He stressed that the responsibility before women today is to take up the mantle of leadership and justice with equal determination.
The keynote also spotlighted the contributions of AWLA in ensuring justice and equality through pro-bono legal clinics, policy advocacy, and community sensitization programs. Nweke commended the Association for translating private struggles into systemic reforms, touching the lives of over 100,000 women and thousands of students and prisoners through their interventions. According to him, AWLA’s work reflects the very essence of strategizing, overcoming, and evolving.
Nweke further shared insights from his own work with the Kunie Foundation, which focuses on empowering women and families in Nigeria’s urban slums. He described the resilience of mothers in deprived communities who, despite hardship, continue to educate and nurture their families. He stressed that when women are empowered, they inevitably transform their families and entire communities, becoming catalysts of sustainable change.
Concluding his address, Nweke issued a charge to Nigerian and African women to rise as heroes in their time, just as the heroines of history did in theirs. He underscored that the future of Africa does not demand perfection but rather the willingness of women to act, to lead, and to evolve in the face of changing challenges. “Nigeria is waiting. Africa is waiting. The world is waiting,” he declared, calling on women to embrace their power and shape societies rooted in justice, integrity, and human dignity.
