Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf Swears in Dije Aboki as First Female Chief Judge
On Monday, August 7th, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf administered the oath of office to Dije Aboki, officially appointing her as the Chief Judge of the state. The inauguration took place at the Government House in Kano. During the event, the governor urged the judiciary to support his administration’s efforts to dismantle illegal structures and recover public assets that were allegedly acquired through illicit means by the previous government.
Dije Aboki has made history as the first female Chief Judge of Kano State. Prior to her formal swearing-in, she had been serving as the Acting Chief Judge since March 2023, a position she assumed following her appointment by the former governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. The Kano State House of Assembly confirmed her appointment in July 2023.
Aboki, an alumna of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, completed her mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in Kano between 1984 and 1985. She subsequently embarked on her career, gradually advancing to become a High Court judge in 2006.
This significant milestone for Aboki comes amidst calls from female legal professionals for gender equity in leadership roles within the legal field, including within the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).
In 2022, The ICIR reported that factors such as marriage continue to impact the progress of female judges in Nigeria. While female judges have achieved numerous accomplishments in the country, the issue of state as it relates to Nigerian women upon marriage remains a major obstacle to assuming leadership roles. Many women who relocate to their husbands’ states after marriage often face challenges when seeking to become judges or assume other leadership positions in the legal community.
A 2023 Women in Law and Leadership Report by the Institute of African Women in Law (IAWL) highlighted additional factors that hinder female lawyers from ascending to leadership roles. These obstacles include religious and cultural biases, stereotypes, and discrimination. The report emphasized that the inadequate representation of women in legal leadership roles would perpetuate institutional and structural challenges for female lawyers, subjecting them to marginalization.
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