Kudirat Kekere-Ekun: What You Need To Know About The Next Female CJN

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). The recommendation was made during the NJC’s 106th meeting, presided over by the council chairman and outgoing CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, currently the second most senior justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, is set to become the second woman in Nigeria’s history to hold the position of CJN, following Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who served from 2012 to 2014.

Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun was born on May 7, 1958, in London, United Kingdom. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos in 1980 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981. She later obtained a master’s degree in Law from the London School of Economics in November 1983.

After working in private practice, Kekere-Ekun joined the Lagos State Judiciary as a Senior Magistrate in 1989 and was appointed as a High Court Judge in 1996. During this period, she served as the Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal in Lagos from 1996 to 1999. In 2004, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal, where she served in various divisions, including as presiding justice in the Makurdi and Akure Divisions.

In July 2013, she was appointed to the Supreme Court, becoming the fifth female justice on Nigeria’s highest court. One of the most significant moments in her career occurred in 2020 when she was part of the seven-member Supreme Court panel that issued a controversial ruling in the Imo State governorship election case, which led to widespread debate.

Kekere-Ekun has received several awards, including the Merit Awards of the Lagos State Judiciary in December 2003 and the Distinguished Trailblazer Awards from the Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum in 2012 and 2014. In October 2022, she was honored with the Nigerian national award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

She is a member of several professional associations, including the National Association of Women Judges, the International Association of Women Judges, the Body of Benchers, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the International Dispute Resolution Institute. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun is married to Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, and they have three children.