History Beckons as Kekere-Ekun Becomes Nigeria’s Second Female Chief Justice 

Stories by Steve Aya

The Honourable Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, CFR, the most senior justice of the Supreme Court, is set to be sworn in as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) following the retirement of the current CJN on August 22nd, 2024. She will be the second female CJN in Nigeria’s history, succeeding Hon. Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON, who served from July 2012 to November 2014.

66 year old Justice Kekere-Ekun is expected to serve till May, 2028, when she attains the mandatory retirement age of 70. She will also become the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), which oversees the appointment, promotion, and discipline of Judicial Officers in Nigeria.

Born on May 7, 1958, Justice Kekere-Ekun obtained her LL.B from the University of Lagos in 1980 and an LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1983. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1981. After several years in private practice, she was appointed as a Senior Magistrate II in Lagos State in 1989. Subsequently, she was made a High Court Judge in 1996. She served as the Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, Lagos from 1996 to 1999. She was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2004, and appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court in July, 2013.