The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). The recommendation was made during the NJC’s 106th meeting, chaired by the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, which took place on August 14 and 15.
Justice Ariwoola, who hails from Oyo, is set to officially retire on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
In addition to nominating Justice Kekere-Ekun, the NJC also recommended 27 candidates for appointment as judges in various state courts and one candidate for the position of Kadi of the Sharia Court of the FCT, Abuja, submitting these recommendations to the respective state governors and the president.
Upon her swearing-in, Lagos-born Justice Kekere-Ekun will become the second female Chief Justice of Nigeria in the country’s history. The first was Justice Aloma Mukhtar, who was sworn in on July 16, 2012, by then-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who also bestowed upon her the National Honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
