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By Henry Uche
Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has urged female corporate leaders to make themselves visible, show their worth and make impact in the country from their respective places of work.
Delivering a keynote speech at the Women Directors’ Biennial Conference of the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoD) in Lagos, Fashola who was a former governor of Lagos State noted that women directors are responsible for engendering a full scale of women civilization and they should not be missing in taking the right decisions and actions.
“They can’t be missing, it’s not about numbers alone, but the quality of impact they have had in shaping our environment, our lives, mentoring, nurturing” he explained.
Similarly, women in the corporate world are charged to move beyond occupying boardroom seats and take active roles in shaping strategic decisions, driving innovation, and influencing corporate governance outcomes.
In an address, the Chairman, Women’s Group of CIoD, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, affirmed that women are no longer seeking inclusion, but are determined to shape outcomes.
Sokefun admonished women that their presence may open the door, but the influence they exert shapes decisions. “The true measure of leadership is not whether we sit at the table, but whether our contributions strengthen governance, shape strategy and leave institutions better than we found them”
Addressing governance experts, policymakers, captains of enterprises, management and leadership professionals, board leaders, and academics; she cautioned that boardrooms are not ceremonial spaces, but places where difficult decisions are taken, risks are weighed, opportunities are seized and institutional futures are determined.
With the theme is: ‘From Presence to Power: Advancing Women’s Influence in the Boardroom’, she explained that the quality of decisions taken at the boardrooms determine whether institutions thrive or fail, whether economies prosper or stagnate, and whether governance becomes transformational or merely transactional.
“Diversity in leadership is no longer a social aspiration; it is a strategic imperative. Across the world, organisations increasingly recognise that leadership diversity strengthens governance, improves risk oversight, broadens strategic thinking and builds lasting stakeholder confidence.
“Women bring perspective, resilience, emotional intelligence and measurable value. These are not simply desirable qualities – they are strategic assets for every modern boardroom. Influence in the boardroom is never donated. It is earned through preparation, sound judgement, strategic thinking, consistency and the confidence to contribute when it matters most”
She warned that though titles may confer authority, but only contribution to topical issues can earn influence. In some instances, she stressed, “leadership is simply the courage to ask the difficult question, to take the ethical stand or to refuse to endorse mediocrity. Those moments often determine the future of institutions.
“The future of governance – both public and private – belongs to institutions that understand that good governance, sustainability and inclusive leadership are inseparable. Sustainability is not merely something we discuss as directors, but something we intentionally embed in how we lead and organise”
For her, competence has no gender, but the strongest institutions are those that draw upon the full breadth of available talent. “Do not merely seek visibility, seek value. Do not merely occupy space, command relevance.
“Do not simply aspire to be present where decisions are made, aspire to shape those decisions. Because ultimately the goal is not simply to sit at the table. It is to influence the agenda, strengthen governance and leave every institution better than we found it. That is leadership, that is influence, and that is power” she maintain.
In a remark, the President/Chairman of the Institute, Otunba Oyebanji, encouraged women to navigate the crucial transition from simply being counted, to being the ones who lead the count.
Oyebanji reiterates that modern boardroom is no longer a quiet sanctuary for quarterly financial reviews, but charge women to occupy the full measure of their capabilities. “Let us step out of the shadows of tokenism and into the light of institutional impact. The organizations you lead face immense challenges, but they also hold immense potential. By bringing your full power, not just your presence to bear, you will navigate the future with resilience, integrity, and vision”
As corporate leaders navigate the dizzying disruption of artificial intelligence, unprecedented geopolitical risks, fractured global supply chains, he noted that expanding women’s influence in the boardroom is not a moral favour; but it’s about what they ask of corporate capitalism.
“It is an urgent, commercial necessity for the stabilization of the global economy. We must dismantle the outdated requirement that a new director must have prior CEO experience, a criteria that historically and systematically disqualifies women due to pipeline inequities.
“We must champion skills based matrix hiring, ensuring that boards look for specific competencies like: digital transformation, risk management, or global logistics rather than relying on personal rolodexes” he added.
