JUST IN: JUSTICE ARIWOOLA RETIRES AS CJN

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Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has retired as the Chief Justice of Nigeria after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.

The immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ariwoola, on Thursday advocated the need for measures to be put in place to reduce the burden on the Supreme Court.

He explained that there are too many cases before the apex court which ought to have terminated at the appellate court.

Justice Ariwoola stated this at a valedictory session in his honour at the Supreme Court in Abuja. He said access to justice has contributed largely to the delay in the hearing of cases as litigants and lawyers are forced to wait for several years to have their cases decided.

Justice Ariwoola explained that the right to fair hearing can only be guaranteed when lawyers and litigants do not have to wait for so long to have their cases heard.

He also stressed the need for the bench to have more judicial officers to adjudicate on all matters timeously

Ariwoola was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria on the 27th of June, 2022, and was subsequently confirmed by the Senate as the Chief Justice of Nigeria on the 21st of September, 2022.

He took the judicial oath of office and was sworn-in as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 12th of October, 2022.

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He was later elevated to Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011. His Lordship was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after being elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State. His Lordship was first appointed a Judge of Superior Court of Record in Oyo State in 1992 from private legal practice.

He studied law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile Ife and bagged his bachelor of laws degree with honours in July 1980. In July 1981, Ariwoola was called to the Bar and enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Solicitor.

Ariwoola turned 70 today, August 22, 2024.

Meanwhile, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as CJN.