Chief Justice of Nigeria

Presiding judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria

Incumbent
Kudirat Kekere-Ekun

since 22 August 2024

Supreme Court of Nigeria
Style| Madam Chief Justice
(informal)
Your Honor
(within court)
The Honorable
(formal)
Status| Chief justice
Member of| Federal judiciary
National Judicial Council
Seat| Supreme Court Building, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, FCT
Appointer| The President
with Senate advice and consent
Term length| Resignation
Death
Attainment of age 70
Constituting instrument| Constitution of Nigeria
Formation| 1914
(111 years ago) (1914)
1 October 1963
(61 years ago) (1963-10-01) Supreme Court of Nigeria
First holder| Sir Edwin Speed (colonial)
Sir Adetokunbo Ademola (Indigenous)
Website| http://www.supremecourt.gov.ng/

The chief justice of Nigeria or CJN is the head of the judicial arm of the government of Nigeria, and presides over the country's Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council.[1] The current chief justice is Kudirat Kekere-Ekun who was appointed on 22 August 2024.[2] She was appointed acting chief justice of the Federation upon the retirement of incumbent chief justice, Olukayode Ariwoola. The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest court in Nigeria and its decisions are final.[3] The chief justice of Nigeria is nominated by the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria upon recommendation by the National Judicial Council and is subject to confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.[4] The CJN holds office at the pleasure of the Nigerian constitution and can only be removed from office by death or on attainment of age 70 whichever occurs first or by impeachment by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which requires a super majority of the members of the Nigerian Senate.[5]

## List of chief justices

[edit]

The following is a complete list of chief justices.[6]

Chief Justice | Term

|

Sir Edwin Speed | 1914–1918
Sir Ralph Combe | 1918–1929
Donald Kingdon | 1929–1946
Sir John Verity | 1946–1954
Sir Stafford Foster-Sutton | 1955–1958
Sir Adetokunbo Ademola | 1958–1972
Taslim Olawale Elias | 1972–1975
Darnley Arthur Alexander | 1975–1979
Atanda Fatai Williams | 1979–1983
George Sodeinde Sowemimo | 1983–1985
Ayo Gabriel Irikefe | 1985–1987
Mohammed Bello | 1987–1995
Mohammed Uwais | 1995–2006
Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore | 2006–2007
Idris Legbo Kutigi | 2007–2009
A. I. Katsina-Alu | 2009–2011
Dahiru Musdapher | 2011–2012
Aloma Mariam Mukhtar[7][8] | 2012–2014
Mahmud Mohammed | 2014–2016
Walter Onnoghen | 2017–2019
Tanko Muhammad | 2019–2022
Olukayode Ariwoola | 2022–2024
Kudirat Kekere-Ekun | 2024–present

## List of previous chief justices

[edit]

Lagos (1863–1929)

* Benjamin Way (?–1866)
* John Carr (1866–?) (West African Settlements Supreme Court)
* George French (1867–1874)
* James Marshall (1874–1886)
* Sir John Salman Smith (1886–1895)
* Sir Thomas Crossley Rayner (1895–1902)
* Sir William Nicholl (1902–1908)

Northern Nigeria

* Alastair Davidson (1900–1901)
* Henry Cowper Gollan (1901–1905)
* Sir M R Menendez (1905–1908)
* Sir Edwin Speed (1908–1913)

Southern Nigeria

* Henry Green Kelly (1900–1902)
* Willoughby Osborne (1906–1913)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Constitution". The National Judicial Council. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
2. ^ "Senate confirms Muhammad as Chief Justice of Nigeria". 17 July 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
3. ^ "Wike: Finality of Supreme Court decision is sacrosanct". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
4. ^ "Presidency Forwards Justice Walter Onnoghen's Name to Senate For Confirmation as CJN – PLAC Legist". Retrieved 25 May 2022.
5. ^ "Judges retirement age and effective justice system". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
6. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20160220234027/http://www.fjsconline.gov.ng/list_of_chife.html Federal Judicial Service Commission, Nigeria
7. ^ "ALOMA MUKHTAR: Making of Nigeria's Female CJN". P.M. News. Independent Communications Network Limited. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
8. ^ "Jonathan swears in Nigeria's first female chief justice". The Punch. Ajibola Ogunsola. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* Website of the Supreme Court of Nigeria Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
* Website of the National Judicial Council

* Nigeria portal

* v
* t
* e

Chief justices of Nigeria

* Sir Edwin Speed
* Sir Ralph Combe
* Stafford Foster-Sutton
* Donald Kingdon
* Sir John Verity
* Sir Adetokunbo Ademola
* Taslim Olawale Elias
* Darnley Arthur Alexander
* Atanda Fatai Williams
* George Sodeinde Sowemimo
* Ayo Gabriel Irikefe
* Mohammed Bello
* Mohammed Uwais
* Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore
* Idris Legbo Kutigi
* Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu
* Dahiru Musdapher
* Aloma Mariam Mukhtar
* Mahmud Mohammed
* Walter Onnoghen
* Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad
* Olukayode Ariwoola

* v
* t
* e

Chief justices of British dependencies

Overseas territories|

* Anguilla
* Bermuda
* British Antarctic Territory
* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Falkland Islands
* Gibraltar
* Montserrat
* Pitcairn
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha
* Turks and Caicos Islands

Crown Dependencies|

* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey

Former (Africa)|

* Mauritius
* British Cameroons
* Cape Colony
* Gambia
* Gold Coast
* Griqualand West
* Kenya
* Lagos Colony
* Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
* Northern Rhodesia
* Nyasaland
* Southern Rhodesia
* Natal
* Nigeria
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa
* Southern Africa
* British Somaliland
* Tanganyika
* Uganda
* Zanzibar

Former (Americas)|

* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Berbice
* British Guiana
* British Honduras
* Dominica
* Demerara-Essequibo
* Grenada
* Jamaica
* Leeward Islands
* St Lucia
* St. Vincent
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Tobago
* Trinidad
* Newfoundland
* Canada
* British Columbia
* New Brunswick
* Nova-Scotia
* Ontario
* Prince Edward Island
* Quebec
* Saint Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla
* Windward Islands
* West Indies Federation
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Maryland
* Massachusetts-Bay
* New Hampshire
* New-Jersey
* New-York
* North-Carolina
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode-island and Providence Plantations
* South-Carolina
* Virginia

Former (Asia)|

* Aden
* Burma
* Ceylon
* Straits Settlements
* Federated Malay States
* Hong Kong
* India
* Bengal
* Bombay
* Madras
* Sind
* Iraq
* Labuan
* Muscat and Oman
* Malaya
* Malayan Union
* North Borneo
* Palestine and Transjordan
* Penang
* Sarawak
* Singapore

Former (Australasia)|

* Australia
* Central Australia
* New South Wales
* North Australia
* Queensland
* South Australia
* Tasmania
* Victoria
* Western Australia
* Swan River Colony
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tonga

Former (Europe)|

* Cyprus
* Heligoland
* Ionian Islands
* Isle of Wight
* Malta
* Minorca
* Northern Ireland

Former (Oceania)|

* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* Solomon Islands
* Western Pacific

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