Just in : Kekere-Ekun sworn-in as CJN
At the State House in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swore in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Until the Senate confirms her, she will serve in an acting capacity.
Around 11:38 a.m., Justice Kekere-Ekun took her oath, and at precisely 11:45 a.m., she assumed her proper seat in the Council Chambers to the left of the President.
After Justice Olukayode Ariwoola retired, Justice Kekere-Ekun took on her new duty as CJN. On August 15, the National Judicial Council (NJC) nominated and presented Justice Kekere-Ekun to President Tinubu.
Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, a Nigerian jurist, is the second woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of Nigeria, following Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who held the position from July 2012 and November, 2014.
Other Supreme Court justices, Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, Prof. Julius Ihonbvere, the leadership of the House of Representatives, Babajide Sanwoolu, the Governor of Lagos State, and Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the immediate former Chief Justice of Nigeria, were among those present to witness the event.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu were also present.
On May 7, 1958, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun was born in London, England. Her legal career began in 1980 at the University of Lagos, where she graduated with her first degree in law. Following her completion of the Nigeria Law School, she was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981.
In November 1983, she received her Master of Laws from the London School of Economics.
Before being elevated to the rank of State High Court Judge, Kekere-Ekun started her career in the legal system as a Senior Magistrate II in the Lagos State Judiciary.
From November 1996 until May 1999, she also held the position of Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja.
In 2004, Kekere-Ekun received an appointment to the Court of Appeal as a reward for her contributions to the advancement of the legal system.