President Bola Tinubu has charged Kudirat Kekere- Ekun, the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), to work on restoring public confidence in the nation’s judiciary.
President Tinubu gave the charged while swearing in the new chief justice, who will serve in acting capacity pending her confirmation by the Senate, on Friday.
The president noted that the position of CJN comes with enormous responsibilities as the head of all judicial institutions in the country, urging her to be faithful and loyal to the constitution in the discharge of her duty.
“It is a position of considerable influence that demands the temperance and sobriety, the occupant must show the highest level of integrity in the discharge of duties. This is moreso because of the finality of the Supreme Court judgment .
Tinubu also encouraged the acting CJN to “defend the judiciary’s independence, always promote course of Justice, strengthen mechanism for integrity ,discipline and transparency in the judicial sector and pursue other reforms or initiatives to sustain public confidence in the judiciary”
The president recalled her sterling contributions to the growth of the Nigerian legal system, adding, “we are inspired by her unwavering commitment ,the higher ideal of upholding the principles of fairness
“She was called to the bar in 1981, she’s now a trail blazer , becoming second woman to hold this position after Honourable Justice Mariam Muktar Aloma, who served as CJN from 16th July 2012 to 20th Nov 2014.
“Justice Kekere-Ekun ascension to this position is a beckon of hope for young woman that are aspiring to break the glass ceiling and make meaning impact on our society.
He noted that Nigeria’s Supreme Court has come a long way since it was empowered by the 1963 Republican Constitution to take over from the then judicial committee of the council as the highest court in the judicial hierarchy.
“Since then it had played a critical role in the evolution of our country resolving complex legal conflicts even under the military and reshaping public policy that impacts all segments of Nigerian society.
Read also: Agbakoba to Kekere-Ekun: Nigeria urgently needs judicial reforms
The president, therefore, charged the apex court to continue to play its critical role in the evolution of constitutional democracy and shape up policies that impact all segments of Nigerian society, also assured that his administration will continue to provide appropriate support to improve the welfare and capacity of the judiciary.
The acting CJN in her remarks, promised to take the judiciary to higher heights, adding that “the reputation that it has, we will improve it, we will make sure that people have more confidence in the judiciary. I believe that it’s not a one man’s job, we all have to be on board, and because we all see where the areas are that need improvement, I believe that there will be cooperation, because we all want to see a better judiciary.
“A better judiciary is for the benefit of the entire nation, whatever the shortcomings that we see today, we’re all members of the society. So if you want to see improvement, let the improvement start with each and every one of us and our approach to justice. Let us also have faith in the system.
She also promised to clean up the process of appointment into the judiciary.
“In particular, about the process of appointment, I know it gives a lot of concern, discipline on the bench, at the bar as well. All these things are aspects that we will look into and I believe that by the grace of God, at the end of my tenure, we will have a judiciary we can all be proud of.”
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while fielding questions from State House kournalists after the event, expressed excitement over her appointment
“We are excited not just because she’s a Lagosian as I am, but because she has been an outstanding jurist and from her resume, she’s one of the few people that started first as the lawyer and also passed through the various courts; Magistrate Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, and, of course, now becoming the Chief Justice of the Federation.
Sanwo-Olu, therefore, charged her to ensure the reforms started by the immediate past CJN are sustained.
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