Tinubu Swears In Kekere-Ekun As Acting CJN
BY EDMOND ODOK – With the recent retirement of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Kekere-Ekun, who will be the 23rd CJN when her appointment is confirmed by the Senate, took the oath of office and signed the oath register at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
She takes over from retired Justice Ariwoola, who retired from office after attaining the mandatory age of 70 years. The immediate past CJN was appointed on June 27, 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari and formally bow out of office on Thursday, 22 August 2024.
The Acting CJN took her Oaths around 11:38 am and is now the second Nigeria female jurist to occupy the esteemed office after Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who served between July 2012 and November, 2014.
After the brief ceremony, Justice Kekere-Ekun took her rightful sitting position in the Council Chambers on the left hand side of Mr President.
Dignitaries who witnessed the ceremony included Justices of the Supreme Court; the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio; the House of Representatives leadership, represented by Prof Julius Ihonbvere; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu; and immediate past CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
Also present were Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris among others.
Born on May 7, 1958, in London, United Kingdom (UK), Kekere-Ekun’s journey in the legal profession began at the University of Lagos where she obtained her first degree in law in 1980. Thereafter, she was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981 after finishing from the Nigeria Law School,
Kekere-Ekun, who began her judiciary career as a Senior Magistrate II in the Lagos State Judiciary before being promoted to the status of State High Court Judge, got a Master of Law from the London School of Economics in November 1983
Appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2004 in recognition of her contribution to the development of the judiciary, the Acting Chief Justice served as the Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja from November 1996 to May 1999.
Forefront News reported on Thursday, a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale which said President Tinubu would swear in Justice Kekere-Ekun as the new CJN, even as he thanked Justice Ariwoola for a “successful public service career,” and commended him for his services to the nation.
Her nomination was presented to the President by the National Judicial Council (NJC) on August 15, 2024 for approval and NJC spokesman, Soji Oye, said in a statement that the decision was taken following the Council’s 106th Meeting presided over by then outgoing CJN Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
The Acting CJN, currently a life Bencher and President of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), is happily married with children.
