On Friday, President Bola Tinubu officially swore in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). The ceremony took place at approximately 11:38 a.m. at the State House in Abuja. Justice Kekere-Ekun becomes the second woman to hold this prestigious position in Nigerian history, following Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who served from July 2012 to November 2014.
Justice Kekere-Ekun will assume the role in an acting capacity until her confirmation by the Senate. She succeeds Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who has retired, and her appointment comes after a recommendation by the National Judicial Council.
The swearing-in was attended by several dignitaries, including other Supreme Court Justices, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives leadership represented by Prof Julius Ihonbvere, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, and the immediate past CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. Also present were Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris.
Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, born on May 7, 1958, in London, UK, to Lagos State parents, is the eldest of eleven siblings from a notable family. She attended private primary schools, then Queen’s College, Lagos, before studying law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) from 1977 to 1980. She was called to the Bar in July 1981 after attending the Nigerian Law School and later earned a master’s degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1983.
Her judicial career began as a Senior Magistrate Grade II in Lagos in December 1989. She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State on July 19, 1996, and later elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 2004. Notably, she was the pioneer Presiding Justice of the Makurdi Division and later the Presiding Justice of the Akure Division. On July 8, 2013, she was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court, becoming the fifth and youngest female to achieve this status.
Justice Kekere-Ekun has been involved in several leadership roles, including as Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, Lagos, and as a member of the Supreme Court Rules Committee and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Litigation Department of the Court. She has also been honored as a Life Bencher by the Body of Benchers since February 8, 2018.
Justice K.M.O. Kekere-Ekun has been married to Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun since December 1983, and they have three children.
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