The swearing-in of Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), albeit in an acting capacity pending the Senate confirmation, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu penultimate Friday is, no doubt, epochal. She is the second female justice to assume the role of Nigeria’s number one judicial officer. The first female CJN was Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.
Kekere-Ekun is a thoroughly trained and purpose-driven jurist. She succeeds Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who bowed out after clocking the retirement age of 70 years. The new CJN is stepping in with a rich and enviable resume. Kekere-Ekun, 66, was born on May 7, 1958. She obtained her law degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1981. Thereafter, she proceeded to the London School of Economic and Political Science where she bagged an LL.M. in November 1983.
Justice Kekere-Ekun’s legal career started in Lagos as a private lawyer from 1985 to 1989. In December 1989, she was appointed a Senior Magistrate Grade II, Lagos State Judiciary. She later became a Judge of the High Court of Lagos state on July 19, 1996 and served as chairman, Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, Lagos from November 1996 to May 1999.
Kekere-Ekun was elevated to the Court of Appeal on September 22, 2004, where she served in various divisions of the court and as presiding justice of two divisions of the court (Makurdi and Akure). She was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria as the fifth female justice of the court and was sworn-in on July 8, 2013. The new CJN has attended numerous courses and seminars within and outside Nigeria and also received several merit awards. Kekere-Ekun is a life Bencher and a member of the International Association of Women Judges and currently its president. She is happily married with children.
In his remarks at the swearing-in, President Tinubu urged the acting CJN to defend the independence of the judiciary and promote the cause of justice. The president emphasised the importance of strengthening mechanisms that will uphold and enhance integrity, discipline, and transparency in the judiciary.
”Undoubtedly, the position of the Chief Justice of Nigeria comes with enormous responsibilities as the head of all judicial institutions in the country. It is a position of considerable influence that demands temperance and sobriety. The occupant of the office must exude the highest level of integrity in the discharge of their duties. This is more so because of the finality of the Supreme Court’s judgments.
”I, therefore, urge your Lordship to be faithful and loyal to the Constitution when discharging your duty as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria. I also encourage you to defend the judiciary’s independence and always promote the cause of justice. It is vital that you strengthen all mechanisms for integrity, discipline, and transparency in the judicial sector, and pursue other reforms or initiatives to sustain and build public confidence in the judiciary,” the president stated.
President Tinubu also lauded the contributions of Justice Kekere-Ekun to the judiciary, noting that she is coming to the position with an admirable family and professional pedigree. He said she has established a respectable and incorruptible reputation within the bar and the bench, which asserts the cause of justice. He noted that the appointment of the acting CJN is an inspiration and a beacon of hope to young women who aspire to break glass ceilings across sectors and seek to make meaningful impact on society.
Impressively, Kekere-Ekun, whose tasks as the new CJN are clear-cut, pledged to elevate the judiciary to new heights, improve its reputation, and sustain public confidence in the judicial system. ”We will make sure that people have more confidence in the judiciary, and I believe that it is not a one-man job. We all have to be on board because we all see the areas that are in need of improvement.
”Let us all have faith in the system and then also be particular about the process of appointment, I know it is a source of a lot of concern; the issue of discipline on the bench and at the bar as well. All of these things are aspects that we will look into and I believe that by the grace of God, at the end of my tenure, we should be able to have a judiciary that we will all be proud of,” the acting CJN said.
Legal luminaries and analysts opine that Kekere-Ekun must ensure transformational judicial reforms as well as address the problems of the delay of dispensation of justice and uncertainty of judgements of courts. They also advise the CJN to push for the creation of constitutional courts, optimise grassroots justice, intensify monitoring of judges and address conflicts in judicial decisions. Blueprint cannot agree more.
We, however, observe that the new CJN is taking over the management of a highly motivated and revitalised judiciary, thanks to the renewed hope administration of President Tinubu. The 100 per cent federal budgetary allocation to the judiciary, the beefing up of the Supreme Court Bench with the full complement of 21 justices and the 300 per cent increase in the salaries of judicial officers, are some of the incentives aimed at enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and vibrancy of the judiciary.
Consequently, we expect Justice Kekere-Ekun to leverage on the goodwill of President Tinubu to deliver on her mandate. She should bequeath to the nation a judiciary that is highly professional, incorruptible, impartial, disciplined, reliable, apolitical, trustworthy, and above board. Nigeria deserves no less from the third arm of government. The judiciary is critical to the entrenchment of the rule of law, the sanctity of the constitution and the survival of democracy, and must be independent.