Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has been sworn in this Friday (23/8/24) by President Bola Tinubu as the Acting Chief justice of Nigeria pending senate approval.
The swearing-in followed President Bola Tinubu’s return to Abuja on after a trip to France on a brief work visit which commenced on Monday.
In a release, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed that the President also congratulated Ariwoola, whose stint in the judiciary he described as a “successful public service career,” commending him for his services to the nation.
Acting CJN sworn Justice Kekere-Ekun will succeed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who bowed out on Thursday after clocking the retirement age of 70 years.
By their hierarchies, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun is the most senior Justice on the apex court bench which puts her in the position to succeed Justice Ariwoola who was sworn in as Chief Justice of Nigeria on September 21, 2022, by former President Muhammadu Buhari .
The 66-year-old jurist who was born on May 7, 1958, bagged her law degree from University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1981.
In December 1989, she was appointed a Senior Magistrate Grade II, Lagos State Judiciary, before becoming a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State on July 19, 1996 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal on 22nd September 2004.
Justice Kekere-Ekun was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria as the 5th female Justice of the Court and was sworn in on Monday 8 July 2013.
In a release, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed that the President also congratulated Ariwoola, whose stint in the judiciary he described as a “successful public service career,” commending him for his services to the nation.
