Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court is set to emerge as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), based on hierarchy and barring any last-minute change.
She is expected to take over from the current occupant of the office, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who assumed office on June 27, 2022, and will formally retire from service on Thursday, August 22, 2024, after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.
A valedictory service in honour of Ariwoola, has been fixed for August in honour of the retiring jurist.
Should Justice Kekere-Ekun take over as the new CJN as expected after Ariwoola’s retirement, she would become the second female justice in Nigeria to hold the exalted position after Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who was CJN between July 2012 and November 2014.
The 66-year-old Kekere-Ekun is the most senior justice of the Supreme Court after Ariwoola, and is favoured to clinch the position.
After 11 years at the Supreme Court, Justice Kekere-Ekun will not only become the next CJN but also head the National Judicial Council (NJC), which oversees the appointment, promotion, and discipline of judges across the country.
Justice Kekere-Ekun was born on May 7, 1958 and obtained her LL. B in 1980 from the University of Lagos and LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in November 1983. She was called to the Nigerian Bar on 10th July, 1981.
From 1985 to 1989, she was in private practice and was later appointed a Senior Magistrate Grade II, Lagos State Judiciary in December 1989. She was appointed a judge of the High Court of Lagos State on July 19, 1996. She served as the chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, Lagos, from November 1996 to May 1999.
Kekere-Ekun was elevated to the Court of Appeal on 22nd September, 2004, where she served in various Divisions and as the presiding justice of two Divisions of the appellate court (Makurdi and Aku) in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
She was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria as the fifth female justice of the apex court and sworn in on Monday, July 8, 2013.
She has attended numerous courses and seminars within and outside Nigeria and received several merit awards.
Justice Kekere-Ekun is also a life Bencher, a member of the International Association of Women Judges and its president.
