The Senate has officially confirmed Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
The confirmation hearing, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, concluded in the Committee of the Whole in Abuja on Wednesday.
Justice Kekere-Ekun becomes the 23rd individual to hold the position and the second woman ever to be appointed to this esteemed role. Following her confirmation, Senate President Akpabio referred her nomination to the Committee of the Whole for further deliberation in the next legislative session.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) had previously recommended Justice Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu as the successor to former CJN Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. Justice Kekere-Ekun, who has been serving as the Acting CJN since Justice Ariwoola’s retirement last month, is 66 years old.
Born on May 7, 1958, in London, United Kingdom, Justice Kekere-Ekun began her legal career at the University of Lagos, where she earned her law degree in 1980. After completing her studies at the Nigerian Law School, she was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981.
The first woman to hold the position of CJN was Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who served from July 2012 to November 2014.
