CJN Ariwoola set to retire

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, is set to retire from the bench as he clocks the mandatory retirement age of 70 in August.

A valedictory court session will be held in his honour on his 70th birthday on 22 August 2024, a statement by the Head of Information and Communication at the Supreme Court, Akande Festus, said on Monday.

The date falls during the vacation of the judges of the Supreme Court and other courts in the country, which commenced on Monday.

“The 2023/2024 legal year of the Supreme Court concluded on Friday, 19 July. Following this, the court commenced its vacation on Monday, 23 July 2024, and is scheduled to reconvene for the first term of the 2024/2025 legal year on Monday, 23 September,” the statement said.

It said the ceremony marking the commencement of the new legal year will be held on 30 September.

Sixty-six year-old Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the next most senior justice on the Supreme Court, is expected to take over as the CJN when Mr Ariwoola leaves on 22 August.

Ariwoola’s two years as CJN

Mr Ariwoola took office as the acting CJN about two years ago on 27 June, following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor, Tanko Muhammad, on health grounds. 

He leaves office when the judiciary faces an unabated confidence crisis fuelled by conflicting court orders, delays, and perceived irrational court decisions.

Earlier this month, Mr Ariwoola denounced the conflicting court decisions issued by some judges, describing the situation as an “attempt to make a mockery of our judicial system and flagrantly desecrate the revered Temple of Justice”.

He vowed that any judge found to be culpable would be sanctioned.

Before becoming the CJN, Mr Ariwoola, as the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court, led the list of his 13 colleagues that sent a protest to the then CJN against the poor handling of their welfare and the operations of the court.

The ripples created by the leaked memo had yet to die down when Mr Muhammad resigned.

43 years in legal profession

Mr Ariwoola was born on 22 August 1954.

Altogether, he put about 43 years into his legal career, which started with serving as a state counsel during his national youth service at the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, Akure, between 1981 and 1982.

He later served as a legal officer at the Oyo State Ministry of Justice between 1982 and 1988.

READ ALSO: CJN vows sanction against judges involved in issuing conflicting court orders

From October 1988 to August 1988, Mr Ariwoola worked as counsel-in-chambers in a private law firm, Chief Ladosu Ladipo, SAN & Co. Legal Practitioners.

He later served as the principal partner of Olu Ariwoola & Co Mako Allah Champers in Iseyin from 1989 to 1992.

Mr Ariwoola continued his legal profession on the bench when he was appointed an Oyo State High Court judge in 1992.

After three years on the High Court bench, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1995.

He was on the Court of Appeal bench until he was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2011. He is currently the longest-serving justice of the Supreme Court, having spent 11 years on the court’s bench.

He has put about 32 years into his judicial career, starting with his appointment as a High Court judge in 1992.