Funmi Falana is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

legal practitioner A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

Personal life and education

Funmi Falana is the wife of

Femi Falana Femi Falana, SAN (born 20 May 1958)In the town of Ilawe, Ekiti State He is a Nigerian lawyer and Human right activist.He is also the father to Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz. Femi Falana is a well-known activist for human rights, always ...

, a Nigerian activist and lawyer; and mother to

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

, a Nigerian

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. she attended St. Louis Girls’ Grammar School, Akure, Ondo State. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Benin, and later bagged her law degree (LL.B) at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

. Fummi later obtained her Master’s degree (LL.M) from the

as well.

Career

Funmi Falana currently serves as the National Director of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

that defends the right of women and children. She belongs to some professional and leadership association within and outside Nigeria. she is member Nigerian Bar Association, West African Bar Association and International Bar Association, Member, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Leadership and activism

Funmi Falana in her capacity as the current National Director of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), a

actively participates in activism. she has led some campaigns against rape, women marginalisation and participation in politics, gender based, policy and decision-making. Through her organisation, she challenged Regulation 124 of the Police Act which prohibited female officers from getting married until after three years of service, and the court declared the provision was unconstitutional and discriminatory against women, so it was null and void, In a letter dated January 28, 2021 and titled “Request To Recall Dismissed Pregnant Police Officer”, Fumi as the Chairperson of WELA asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Adamu, to reinstate Corporal Olajide Omotola of the Ekiti State Police Command who was dismissed for getting pregnant out of wedlock. She said she would challenge the dismissal of Mrs. Omotola at the

National Industrial Court of Nigeria The National Industrial Court of Nigeria also known as NICN is a court empowered to adjudicate trade disputes, labour practices, matters related to the Factories Act, Trade Disputes Act, Trade Unions Act, Workmen’s Compensations Act and appeals fr ...

(NICN) and pray for the annulment of Regulation 127 made pursuant to the Police Act, 2020 if the police authority fails to reinstate her within a reasonable time.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Nigerian women lawyers Nigerian activists Nigerian women's rights activists Nigerian women activists University of Lagos alumni University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni Falana family {{Nigeria-law-bio-stub