Senate confirms Kekere-Ekun as Chief Justice of Nigeria

…Kekere-Ekun pledges zero tolerance for corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary

The Nigerian Senate has screened and confirmed Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Kekere-Ekun, appeared before the Senate on Wednesday for screening, accompanied by other Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices.

Her confirmation follows President Bola Tinubu’s request which urged the Upper Chamber to expeditiously consider and confirm Kekere-Ekun.

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“I have the honour to forward the nomination of Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun CON for confirmation as CJN. While it is my hope that this request will receive the expeditious consideration and confirmation of the senate, please, accept distinguished senate president the assurances of my highest consideration and personal regards”, Tinubu’s letter to the chamber on Tuesday read.

Kekere-Ekun was sworn in by President Tinubu at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja on August 22, 2024, following the retirement of her predecessor, Olukayode Ariwoola.

During her screening, Kekere-Ekun vowed to enforce a zero-tolerance policy on corruption in the nation’s judiciary.

She assured that her administration as the Chief Justice of Nigeria will maintain integrity of the judiciary by not condoning any form of corruption.

“In order to ensure that the integrity of the judiciary is maintained, I will ensure that the code of conduct is fully complied with. I will ensure that there is zero tolerance for corruption,” she said.

The acting CJN said she will also ensure that the National Judicial Council (NJC) conduct evaluation performance for judgments delivered by respective courts.

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“We have a committee of the NJC that deals with performance evaluation. And what that does is they assess judgments delivered, they assess how judges are performing their functions, and they have regular conferences.”

The CJN also assured that petitions will be quickly attended to and judgments will be delivered without delay.

“Now in the NJC also, we are going to ensure that petitions are dealt with speedily. This is another way to let the public know that the integrity of the judiciary will be upheld in all circumstances.”