Across generations, women have been at the heart of national progress, shaping homes, influencing policy, and driving transformation in every sector. Today, their roles in governance, enterprise, and social development continue to redefine leadership and resilience.
It is no longer new that where inclusion and equality are increasingly recognized as economic imperatives, women are no longer just participants, they are pivotal architects of growth. The United Nations emphasizes that empowering women and protecting their rights remain the surest path to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The call for gender balance goes far beyond fairness. It’s a business, social, and moral necessity. From boardrooms to government, media to sports, and finance to innovation, women’s participation creates stronger, smarter, and more equitable societies.
This feature spotlights some of Nigeria’s most outstanding and impactful women leaders, visionaries redefining the possibilities of leadership, influence, and impact in their respective spheres.
Bolanle Onotu: Leading with Integrity, Securing Financial Futures
At the helm of Norrenberger Pensions Limited is Bolanle Onotu, a seasoned professional with more than three decades of experience spanning commercial banking, mortgage finance, and pension administration.
Armed with dual MBAs, one from the European Business University Luxembourg and another from the University of Calabar, Bolanle combines academic excellence with practical expertise. Her career has been marked by consistent leadership, innovative thinking, and an unwavering commitment to integrity and results.
Before joining Norrenberger Pensions, she led major initiatives at FBN Mortgages Limited, overseeing landmark real estate projects and driving operational efficiency. Today, she continues to demonstrate exceptional stewardship, ensuring the company remains a trusted partner in securing Nigerians’ financial futures.
“Leadership for me is not about titles,” she says. “It’s about purpose, empathy, and the courage to keep learning.”
For Bolanle, the foundation of success lies in resilience and continuous growth. She believes listening, truly listening, is one of the most powerful leadership tools. “Understanding builds trust,” she notes, “and trust builds teams.”
At Norrenberger, gender inclusion is not a slogan; it’s policy. As one of the few PFAs led by a female CEO, the organization actively promotes diversity, equal opportunity, and fair representation at all levels. Bolanle ensures that systems and culture reflect these values, from recruitment to leadership development.
Her leadership philosophy blends structure with humanity. “Balance is never accidental,” she explains. “It’s the result of clarity, knowing what matters most and protecting that space.”
Beyond the boardroom, Bolanle is passionate about empowering women to take charge of their financial security. She advocates expanding access to pension participation among women, currently only about 31% of the 10.6 million registered contributors, and calls for more financial literacy initiatives targeting women entrepreneurs and professionals.
She also champions mentorship as a tool for transformation. “When women see other women leading with grace and competence, it creates belief. And belief is the first step toward progress.”
Under her leadership, Norrenberger Pensions continues to deliver transparent, responsible, and growth-oriented pension management. For Bolanle Onotu, leadership is not about perfection, it’s about purpose, integrity, and leaving a legacy that outlasts position.
Aisha Maina: Redefining Private-Sector Diplomacy for a Global Africa
Sixteen years ago, Aisha Maina founded Aquarian Consult Limited with a vision larger than business. Her goal was to create a platform that empowers professionals, nurtures enterprise growth, and strengthens Africa’s development ecosystem. What began as a consultancy has evolved into a movement, one that places the private sector at the heart of global cooperation.
For Aisha, diplomacy is not ceremonial, it is developmental. This conviction inspired the creation of the Aquarian Consult Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (AACIS), a platform connecting African and Caribbean economies through trade, innovation, and shared prosperity.
The inaugural edition, AACIS ’25, held in Abuja, was not just a conference but a turning point, bringing together leaders from government, business, and the creative sectors to foster tangible collaboration. Within months, new bilateral partnerships emerged in agriculture and culture, and a historic 120-member business mission to St. Kitts and Nevis was successfully executed.
As preparations advance for AACIS ’26, Aisha is clear about her mission, to transform potential into progress. The next edition will take a sector-specific approach, focusing on agriculture, energy, creative industries, and health. “We are moving from dialogue to delivery,” she says. “This is about building trade corridors that connect our shared history to shared opportunity.”
Aisha believes the future of diplomacy must include entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators, those willing to take risks and shape outcomes. Her vision is to see Global Africa stand as a self-reliant, self-defining community where collaboration replaces competition.
Her mantra is simple but powerful: “Impact is the true currency of legacy.” Through Aquarian Consult and AACIS, Aisha Maina is not waiting for change, she’s creating it.
MOJOYINOLUWA DEKALU-THOMAS: Development-Focused Strategist Driving Financial Stability in Nigeria’s Power Sector
When purpose is lost, even the most diligent efforts can feel hollow, a reality starkly illustrated by the contrast with Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas’ remarkable career trajectory. As the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), she exemplifies the power of visionary thinking, where strength and kindness converge to drive transformative success. With a career spanning different sectors, she has honed her ability to balance assertiveness with empathy, and this has made it easy for her to lead with confidence and integrity.
Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas’ global footprint in leadership is underscored by her extensive experience in executive management roles across the UK, Germany, Belgium, South Africa, and Nigeria. Over 22 years, she has navigated complex business landscapes, leveraging her expertise to drive growth and innovation in diverse industries, including legal, oil and gas, telecommunications, financial services, and technology. With a proven track record of strategic leadership, she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to NELMCO, driving meaningful change and achieving organizational goals that benefit the nation. Her appointment, approved by President Bola Tinubu for a four-year term, is a validation of her exceptional leadership skills and strategic vision.
With an academic foundation in law and international relations, Mojoyinoluwa has built a remarkable career that showcases her ability to drive organizational success through strategic leadership and expertise. Her impressive skill set includes strategy development and implementation, programme and project management, risk management, stakeholder and third-party management, budget forecasting, business development, resource management, process development, and financial analysis. This broad range of expertise has equipped her to navigate complex business environments and deliver results-driven solutions.
Before assuming her current role, Mojoyinoluwa played a pivotal role in NELMCO’s management team, bringing her wealth of experience to the table. Prior to joining NELMCO, she held senior management positions in both national and multinational companies, where she honed her skills in high-level programme and project management. In Europe, she successfully managed and implemented multi-million Euro infrastructure development projects in financial services and technology companies, showcasing her ability to handle large-scale initiatives.
Her experience in Africa is equally impressive, with roles that span company secretarial duties, legal services, operations, strategy development, and programme direction across various industries. Mojoyinoluwa’s versatility and adaptability have been key to her success, allowing her to thrive in diverse business environments and drive growth and innovation. Today, she is well-positioned to leverage her expertise to propel NELMCO to new heights, harnessing her unique blend of skills and experience to tackle some of the challenges of Nigeria’s electricity sector and drive meaningful impact.
Under the Electricity Power Sector Reform (ESPR) Act of 2005 and the amended Electricity Act of 2023, NELMCO is tasked with managing liabilities that stemmed from PHCN’s operations prior to privatization, overseeing tariff shortfalls from 2015 to 2020, and handling other post-privatization obligations as directed by the National Council on Privatization (NCP).
Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas’s appointment as Managing Director and CEO of NELMCO marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey to resolve liquidity challenges in Nigeria’s electricity sector. With her extensive experience in strategic leadership and expertise, she has propelled NELMCO to new heights, driving the company’s mission to achieve its core objectives. These objectives include liability management, asset management, settlement of agreements, and facilitating financial sustainability, all aimed at creating a stable and sustainable power sector.
Under her leadership, NELMCO’s management team has demonstrated remarkable determination and pragmatism in tackling the complexities of the electricity sector. They have successfully administered and resolved stranded PHCN debts, managed non-core assets, and settled Power Purchase Agreement obligations, thereby fostering an environment conducive to investment and growth in the power sector. Notably, NELMCO has settled over N1.3 trillion in liabilities out of a total of N2.3 trillion inherited, showcasing the company’s effectiveness in easing the sector’s financial burden.
Mojoyinoluwa’s expertise in strategy development, programme management and risk management has been instrumental in driving NELMCO’s success. Her leadership has enabled the company to navigate the complexities of the NESI, positioning it as a major force in stabilizing the sector. The company’s expanded role in managing post-privatization liabilities has further solidified its critical function in ensuring operational efficiency and long-term sustainability in the sector.
Under her transformative leadership, NELMCO is making significant strides in navigating the complexities of Nigeria’s electricity sector, driving the company’s mission to resolve liquidity issues and ensure financial stability. With her team, she is tackling the challenges of managing post-privatization liabilities head-on, working tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome for the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). NELMCO’s ultimate objective is clear: to efficiently manage and settle all post-privatization liabilities, thereby paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient power sector.
As a dynamic professional with patriotic vision, Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas is committed to contributing to the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, driving financial stability and sustainability in Nigeria’s power sector – a crucial element in the administration’s vision for a revitalized economy, with her leadership positioning NELMCO to play a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s economic future.
PROF ROSEMARY OGU: A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE MAKING IMPACT IN THE NIGERIAN MEDICAL SECTOR
Professor Rosemary Ogu is a distinguished Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at the University of Port Harcourt/University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and an associate Faculty at Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Graduating with distinction (MB.BS) from the University of Benin in 1999, she pursued her residency training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology from 2003 to 2008. Her dedication and expertise earned her fellowships from the West African College of Surgeons and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (FWACS, FMCOG). She also has a Master’s degree (MSc) in Reproductive Health from the World Bank Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI), University of Benin (MScRH).
A prominent advocate for Reproductive Health, Prof. Ogu has led research activities, sensitisation campaigns, capacity-building initiatives, and public talks on radio and television. She actively participates in implementation research for adolescent and women’s health and has authored over 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Prof Ogu was co-Investigator of the Increasing Women’s Access to Skilled Pregnancy Care to Reduce Maternal/Perinatal Mortality in Nigeria – one of the Implementation Research Team Proposals funded by the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa, a $36 million program funded by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Prof Ogu was the Principal Investigator of the Ford Foundation-funded Increasing Access to Youth Friendly Services in hard-to-reach Areas of Rivers State and the World Diabetes Foundation Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Control Program in the Niger Delta Region WDF16-1347.
Currently, Prof. Ogu serves as a Faculty Board member of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, the Apex Institution for the training of postgraduate medical doctors and dentists, and is the National President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, the umbrella association of all female medical and dental doctors in Nigeria. Married with children, she remains dedicated to advancing healthcare, education, and advocacy for a better world.
Explaining what inspired her career choice and how she has been able to take her career to an enviable height, the outstanding medical practitioner said, ” My career choice was inspired by my dad. I wanted to do computer science, I wanted to do a four-year course and go get married, and then my dad says, no, you this girl, I know you are very intelligent, you’re one of the best girls in the state, you should go do medicine. I started medicine and I fell in love with medicine, then obstetrics and gynecology came almost during the final year in medical school, where I met one of my mentors, Professor Friday Okonofua, who is the champion of maternal health. And I said, if a Professor could be doing all this for women’s health, then what am I doing? So that’s how I went into the residency program, did obstetrics and gynecology, and the rest is history as you see.
” The journey has been great. I love my work. I don’t call it work, it’s my passion. It’s my passion. I get to teach medical doctors and medical students. I get to look after women. With the Medical Women’s Association, I get to go into communities and advocate, teach and service delivery for women.I also interface with government and non-governmental organisations. So my career has been beautiful. It’s been nothing short of phenomenal.
I have gone through the rounds from a baby doctor to a house officer to a youth corper, and then a resident doctor, consultant obstetrician- gynaecologist, senior lecturer and professor, all within 20 years of graduation. I became a professor in 2018.”
Dedicated and intelligent, her professional reputation has become inspiration for young medical practitioners, especially female who are desirous of making a mark in their chosen fields. When asked about the personal principles that sustained her growth, she replied: ” I would think discipline, diligence, dedication, and passion. Because if you don’t like what you’re doing, then you can’t do it. Because there’s no reward, so to speak. Right now I am earning the equivalent of less than $1,000 a month. Who does that to a professor? But that’s what I’m earning. That’s what the country pays me. But we are here. We are working. And somebody is saying, don’t japa, meanwhile people can’t take care of their basic responsibilities. But I love this country and this work. And I know that if we leave, we create more gaps. So that conscience, dedication, interest to help, that’s what keeps us here.”
An advocate of women empowerment, she stressed that that Nigerian women in medical practice have made remarkable impact. In her words, ” I think women are doing great. They are doing fantastically. Let me talk about medical field. Let me talk about Professor Hadiza Galadanci and Professor Bosede Afolabi. These are women who’ve done so much just in the medical field and there are many more. I’ve just talked about obstetrics and gynecology. If we talk of internal medicine, public health or mental health, we have women doing great things and as National President of the Medical Women’s Association, I want to bask in the glow of their achievements. Because we’re celebrating women and they’re doing so well. I’m so proud. In Mental health, we talk about Dr. Maymunah Yusuf-Kadiri, our shrink. She’s our national publicity secretary She’s doing so much.”
In spite of Nigerian women’s increasing impact in nation building, Prof Ogu believes that with more conducive environment and empowerment, they can record greater achievements. On the challenges facing the women in Nigeria, she explained that women are very different from man, and the cultural and societal expectations have placed more responsibilities on their shoulders.
” You’re very different from a man. You are the nuturer, carer, and bearer. Those are extra responsibilities. If you go home today as a woman, by the time you get home, you probably enter the kitchen or get to help the children with their homework. You have to take care of the home and look after the children. Have you done your homework? You have to make sure is there food at home and all that.
” The man gets home and probably has no home chores. So what I’m trying to say is, there’s a lot more responsibilities on women. And so for you to really do well, wherever you are, you have to do extra work because sometimes people look at you and say, oh no, don’t give her responsibility. She can’t do it. The woman is not actively groomed. So for her to get groomed, she has to fight extra hard. She has to do more work.”, she explained.
On the qualities she thinks women who want to become exceptional in their fields can acquire to get to the highest rank, she advised : ” What I would say is to be disciplined and to have a routine. To have a plan and be intentional about things. Have your sleeping time. When you sleep well, your body rebuilds itself. And you’re able to do things better than others. Be kind to your body in the kind of things you do. Alcohol, cigarette smoking, caffeine. You don’t need those things. Drugs and recreational drugs, you don’t need those things. Those things will derail you and you will eventually pay the price. So the best thing is to focus on the tripods for good health. Check your emotions. Be kind and nice. Smile. It helps you, then food.
” Eat the right foods. Don’t eat because the food is there. Eat because you need to eat. Eat Vegetables, fruits, water and get adequate sleep. Yes, you are busy. Yes, you have a thousand and one things to do. If you keep doing four hours sleep, it will eventually break you down. Prioritise then improve and pay attention to your social connections and also exercise. You can do that for 30 minutes a day. Walk, if you have a swimming pool, swim, or dance. As you wake up, plan your day. Communicate with your maker, ask for guidance and direction intentionally. ”
For pregnant women who are engage with home making and their careers, she added : ” Be kind to yourself. Go for antenatal. You cannot be pregnant and not register for antenatal and save towards your delivery or have health insurance. Please, if you’re a woman out there within the reproductive age that is 15 to 45. Go and get health insurance. When you have registered for health insurance and have been with your health insurance provider for like six months, if you get pregnant and you deliver, it’s free. Some insurance firms are taking premium of 15,000. Get health insurance so that when you have an issue, you can get care. Paying out of pocket is expensive. So my advice for pregnant women are get health insurance, register for antenatal care, look after yourself. Plan your delivery, the hospital. Plan where and who will take care of you after delivery. ”
originally compiled by the Guardian Newspapers Nigeria’s Most Outstanding and Impactful Women in Leadership (2)
