Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has been sworn in as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria. Justice Kudirat is the 23rd Chief of justice and the second female to hold this position.
She was sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja , pending her confirmation by the Senate.
Attendees to this event included the Senate President Godswill Akpabio; the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed; justices of the Supreme Court, senior judicial officers, and some members of the Federal Executive Council.
The family of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, led by her spouse, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun was also present at the State House Council Chamber.
Mr. President explained that the position of the “Chief of Justice” comes with enormous responsibilities and so maintained his position as regards upholding integrity, discipline and transparency in the judiciary. He advised that she defends the independence of the judiciary and promote justice.
In the light of this, the President spoke,
”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.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu went further to pinpoint her positive doings. He recognised the efforts of other Chief of Justices, particularly the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, commending him for his 32 years of service to the judiciary and the nation.
The president spoke in this regard,
“Over the years, she has established a respectable and incorruptible reputation within the bar and the bench, which asserts the cause of justice.
”Her meritorious rise from a magistrate to justice of the Supreme Court is a testament to her exceptional talent, hard work, unblemished record, strong work ethic, and dedication to her calling as a priest in the temple of justice.
”Her sterling contribution to the growth of the Nigerian judiciary has been remarkable. We are inspired by her unwavering commitment to a higher ideal of upholding the principles of fairness and a strong commitment to humanity.
Mr. President went further to identifying the roles of the Supreme Court, citing the appointments of other justices in December. 2023 and assured the judiciary of social order, rule of law, peace, security and economic development. It is worthy to note that, as part of measures to ensure the welfare of the judiciary, the federal budgetary allocation to the institution was increased by 100 percent during President Tinubu’s first year in office.
Having been sworn in, Justice Kekere spoke,
“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.
”I believe that there will be maximum cooperation because we all want to see a better judiciary.
”A better judiciary is for the benefit of the entire nation. Whatever the shortcomings that we see today are, we are all members of the society so, if we want to see a better society, if we want to see improvement, let the improvement start with each and every one of us and our approach to justice.
”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”.
