President Bola Tinubu will swear in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Friday.
This was confirmed by Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement released on Thursday. The ceremony will be held at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja.
Justice Kekere-Ekun will succeed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who retired on Thursday after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
President Tinubu praised Ariwoola for his “successful public service career” and commended his contributions to the nation’s judiciary.
Justice Olukayode Ariwoola’s judicial journey saw him serve as a Justice of the Court of Appeal across various divisions before his promotion to the Supreme Court in 2011.
He was appointed CJN by former President Muhammadu Buhari on September 21, 2022.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) had recommended Justice Kekere-Ekun as Ariwoola’s successor after its 106th meeting.
As the most senior Justice on the Supreme Court bench, Kekere-Ekun was selected to take on the role of CJN.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, born on May 7, 1958, is one of Nigeria’s leading female Justices. She graduated from the University of Lagos with a law degree in 1981 and obtained an LL.M. from the London School of Economics in 1983.
Her distinguished career includes serving as a Senior Magistrate, a Judge of the High Court of Lagos, and later as a Justice of the Court of Appeal before her promotion to the Supreme Court in 2013.
She is also the President of the International Association of Women Judges and is a life Bencher.
