President Administers OATH Of Office on Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun as Chief Justice of Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu swore in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on August 23, 2024. This ceremony took place at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja, marking her as the second woman to hold this prestigious position in Nigeria’s history, following Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar who served from 2012 to 2014. Justice Kekere-Ekun’s appointment came into effect following the retirement of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun’s career highlights include:
- Educational Background: She obtained her LL.B from the University of Lagos in 1980 and an LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1983.
- Judicial Career:
- Appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State in 1996.
- Elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2004, where she served in various divisions and later as the presiding justice of the Makurdi and Akure Divisions.
- In July 2013, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, becoming one of the few female justices at the apex court.
- Notable Judgments:
- She was part of significant Supreme Court decisions, including the controversial Imo State governorship election case in 2020, where the court declared Hope Uzodinma the winner despite him initially placing fourth in the election.
- Awards and Recognitions: Justice Kekere-Ekun has received several awards, including the Nigerian national award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022.
The swearing-in of Justice Kekere-Ekun was widely discussed on platforms like X, with users expressing varied sentiments about her past judgments and the implications for the judiciary’s future under her leadership. Her appointment was seen as a significant moment for gender representation in Nigeria’s highest judicial office, continuing the legacy of Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar.
