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Our society discourages victims of violence from speaking out –Rimi

Aisha Rimi is an attorney, entrepreneur and an advocate of women and children’s rights. She has practised Law with reputable local and international law firms for almost 30 years. She is a founding partner at Africa Law Practice (ALP), a leading commercial law firm in Nigeria. A wife, mother and businesswoman, Rimi has established several lines of businesses in real estate, management, hospitality and others. She also sits on the board of several companies. In this interview with OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI, she speaks on her passion for women and the less privilege

 

You have accomplished a lot in your field and other endeavours- from Law practice to real estate, the hospitality industry and other areas. What would you say are the secrets of your success?

 

I owe a lot to my upbringing, education, experience and family support system. I was brought up in a conservative Northern Muslim home, where both my parents were accomplished professionals. From a young age, my parents encouraged all their children (male and female) to seek knowledge and supported us in whatever career choices we made. Education and hard work were emphasized as the key to success.

 

Being female, multitasking comes naturally to me. I also have an insatiable appetite for new experiences and so, having studied and then practiced law for 10 years, I decided to try out other businesses and entrepreneurship opportunities in what I felt were probably the most productive years of my life.

 

So, in my early 30s, I branched out into numerous sectors and grew my “side hustles” into active and successful business ventures.

 

 

Some of my ventures included, trading in clothes and accessories, way before online shopping became fashionable; “importing” and distributing fresh fruit and vegetables from the north (specifically Jos) to Lagos when there were no mobile phones and flights often did not take off for days; started an outdoor catering company that eventually morphed into several restaurants; designing and supplying corporate gift items; building and operating a beach resort; buying and selling of land and developing real estate for sale and lease. I could go on and on.

 

Suffice it to say that I am to a large extent able to take on new and financially viable challenges. I am now fully back in legal practice in a corporate commercial firm with a pan African footprint and some of the businesses continue to operate with my capable support staff.

 

 

Could you tell how it all began for you? Why did you choose to read Law in the first place, and how has the journey been especially as a female lawyer?

 

To be honest, I am not really sure why I studied law. It just seemed like a sensible thing to study at the time and I felt it would prepare me for life generally. I also had an aunty who looked fabulous in her wig and gown and she made a huge impression on me.

 

Needless, to say, I have no regrets. As a female lawyer, I have been lucky because I have worked with good mentors, who took the time to train and nurture my growth in the profession. I very quickly however knew that I preferred the corporate/commercial side of practice but I did go to court in the first few years of practice.

 

I have practiced in a firm and rose to be a partner; practiced in the City of New York (NY) as a visiting attorney; set up and run my own boutique practice and finally set up a new and dynamic Corporate Commercial firm that operates in several African countries and with offices in Abuja and Lagos.

 

The firm is a merger of four successful individuals and their practices. We have over the last 18 months started the journey to grow a pan African network of law firms offering seamless legal advice and professional services to our clients, wherever they may be based and whatever their needs are. I therefore spend quite a bit of time between Lagos and Abuja and also our partner countries.

 

Although women have made much progress, most of the leading lights in the legal profession in Nigeria are men, especially the Senior Advocates of Nigerian (SAN). What do you think are the main obstacles for women in the legal profession in Nigeria?

 

As with most professions, gender is not really an issue at the entry level and as people rise to mid management levels, women for numerous reasons, tend to peel off the corporate or professional ladder as they grow older, usually to support their spouses and to start and raise families.

 

Society is changing and women now get a lot more support in the workplace. I think the younger women are bolder and able to manage the challenges better and so I think like with other professions, law will also start to catch up.

 

In law, women have traditionally also preferred corporate/in-house work and this is reflected in the number of advocates we see in practice. In our office, we have ensured that women do not feel that by stepping away to get married or start a family, they will be disadvantaged. We encourage and support our female employees to take time, when they need to.

 

They can work from home when the situation demands it. They can get personal days off to attend vaccination clinics, tend to a sick child or even go to common entrance exams.

 

I am proud to say that we actually have more female staff in the firm and in senior positions. We reward loyalty and hard work and that’s how it should be. We do not see gender. We see professionals!

 

What is your advice to upcoming female lawyers and other female colleagues on surmounting the obstacles?

 

Be bold, confident and self-assured. Women also need to create their own networks and “clubs” where they can support and mentor each other. Men do it all the time and there is no reason, why we cannot do the same.

 

As much as I hate to say it, I think women have not helped each other as much as we can and need to. I recently attended a Law Society roundtable on this same subject and we concluded that we have to take charge of this as a group.

 

I read something somewhere which said something along the lines that, if there are no seats at the table, pull one up or start your own table.

 

What are your views about the prevalent cases of sexual violence against minors especially girls in the country. How can our justice system be positioned to tackle this social menace?

 

Sexual and domestic violence against anyone, girls, boys, old, young, is simply wrong and unacceptable. We unfortunately have a society that does not encourage victims to speak out and when they do, are usually stigmatized, blamed for the act and bullied into not pursuing any action against the perpetrators.

 

There are sick minded people everywhere and as we have seen, the perpetrators, cut across many different socio-cultural and economic backgrounds. They are teachers, faith leaders, parents (of the victims), siblings and so on. The laws exist to punish these criminals but you constantly hear of “settlement” and non-cooperative victims.

 

Some NGOs such as WARIF in Lagos are very active in supporting victims in many ways, by providing healthcare, refuge and even assisting with evidence for prosecution.

 

Our firm has an active pro bono programme w h e re we help victims get justice. I am currently working on a case where a woman has been thrown out of the house she built, had her children taken away and this after suffering many years of physical and sexual abuse from her husband.

 

We support organization such as the Domestic Violence Unit in Lagos State. There are many more sprinkled around the country, but too much is never enough. Education is also key in letting younger people know about inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour no matter who the person is.

 

You are from Katsina State. What are your contributions to the development of girl education in the area and also in the North.

Support for the girl-child or female education is a nationwide issue. Some states/regions have done better than others. Studies have shown that the educated women have a positive impact on their communities.

 

It reduces maternal and infant mortality rates because the women are able to take better care of themselves and their children and as the children progress in life, educated mothers are able to give them a better support system. If you educate a woman, you educate a community.

 

Being northern as you have pointed out, but living in Lagos, I have tried to support both communities to which I belong and have made me who I am. I support by way of sponsorship of female students who have an active interest in seeking education and have also (along with family members), built a small school that offer vocational training for young women at a hugely subsidized cost.

 

We train the women to knit, sew, make slippers and handbags, soap and candles etc. It has been heartwarming to see how accomplished they feel when they have learned a skill.

 

There has been an agitation for women to participate more vigorously in politics in Nigeria. What is your view on that, and do you see a woman becoming the president of Nigeria in the near future?

 

We have had successful female politicians but clearly the numbers are nowhere where they should be.

 

Some of the reasons I have mentioned above and others revolve around the societal and financial pressures that prevent women venturing into politics. I sometimes watch proceedings and hear how women are quite honestly humiliated by their colleagues.

 

Like everything in life, timing is key. And the time will come for women to rightfully take their places at the highest level. We have seen female leaders in African and Asian conservative countries. In the meantime, we would like to see more women appointed to positions of authority also.

 

How have you been able to maintain a stable balance between your family life and hectic profession and business?

Everything in life is about balance and nothing should be done to the detriment of oneself, or situation.

 

Having an incredibly supportive spouse, amazing family support and dependable colleagues have all helped me to achieve a relatively good work – life balance

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