Funmi Falana is a Nigerian lawyer and advocate for women’s rights

Funmi Falana is a Nigerian lawyer and advocate for women’s rights.

Personal Life and Education
Funmi Falana is married to Femi Falana, a prominent Nigerian lawyer and activist, and she is the mother of Falz, a well-known Nigerian musician and actor. She attended St. Louis Girls’ Grammar School in Akure, Ondo State.

Funmi earned her bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Benin before pursuing a law degree (LL.B) at the University of Lagos. She further obtained a Master’s degree (LL.M) from the same institution.

Career
Funmi Falana is the National Director of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), a non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the rights of women and children. She is an active member of professional bodies including the Nigerian Bar Association, West African Bar Association, International Bar Association, and The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Leadership and Activism
In her role as National Director of WELA, Funmi Falana has been at the forefront of campaigns against rape, gender-based violence, and women’s marginalization in politics, policy, and decision-making.

She successfully challenged Regulation 124 of the Police Act, which prevented female police officers from marrying within their first three years of service. The court ruled that the regulation was unconstitutional and discriminatory, declaring it null and void.

On January 28, 2021, Funmi, as Chairperson of WELA, wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Adamu, requesting the reinstatement of Corporal Olajide Omotola of the Ekiti State Police Command. Omotola had been dismissed for becoming pregnant outside of marriage. Funmi stated her intention to challenge the dismissal at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), seeking the annulment of Regulation 127 of the Police Act, 2020, if the officer was not reinstated promptly.