Justice Olukayode Ariwoola taking oath of office as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)… Photo: Channels Television
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday swore in Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Justice Ariwoola of the Supreme Court on Monday took the oath of office as the acting CJN.
Buhari administered the oath of office to Justice Ariwoola during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Ariwoola, 62, takes over from the outgone CJN, justice Tanko Muhammad, and is expected to serve in an acting capacity till further confirmation by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
While taking the judicial oath, he swore to be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well as defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Justice Muhammad had resigned as the Chief Justice of Nigeria on Sunday night, citing ill-health as the reason for his decision.
This led to the inauguration of Justice Ariwoola – the next most senior justice of the Supreme Court at the time of Justice Muhammad’s resignation.
Until his resignation, according to reports, the immediate past CJN was seriously ill.
News of his resignation broke barely a week after 14 justices of the Supreme Court wrote to him to lament the dilapidated state of affairs in the apex court.
In the leaked letter, the justices alleged that Justice Muhammad failed to address the issues raised despite drawing his attention to them.
They had complained of a lack of residential accommodation and vehicles at the court, alleging that the former CJN was gallivanting with his ‘spouse, children and personal staff’ while not allowing them to travel with an assistant on foreign trips.
But these allegations were denied by an aide to the former CJN.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) had recommend Justice Kayode Ariwoola to President Muhammadu Buhari as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) following the resignation of Justice Tanko Muhammad.
NJC is a creation of section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) with powers to hire and fire erring judicial officers in the country.
Reliable sources at the NJC told Vanguard on Monday that the mantle of leadership has fallen on Justice Ariwoola in line with the age-long tradition in the bench.
The tradition, it was learnt, is that where an incumbent head of court vacates office either by reason of death, retirement, resignation or sack, the next most senior judicial officer in the court takes over.
Justice Ariwoola is the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court after the incumbent, Justice Muhammad who just resigned his office on health ground.
Justice Muhammad is the second Chief Justice of Nigeria to have resigned his appointment in the last four years.
He took over from Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen who also bowed out of the bench before he clocked the mandatory retirement age of 70 years under controversial circumstances.
Justice Muhammad was born in December 1953.
But for his resignation, he was supposed to steer the ship of the apex court till December 2023.
He was supposed to be the judicial officer that would have sworn in the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2023.
Ariwoola was born on 22 August 1958.
He was formerly a Justice of the Nigerian courts of appeal and on November 22, 2011, he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as Justice, sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
According to his profile published on the official website of the Supreme Court, he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011. His Lordship was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after having been elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State.
He was first appointed a Judge of Superior Court of record in Oyo State in 1992 from private legal practice.
He had his educational career in his home town, Iseyin, at the Local Authority Demonstration School, Oluwole in Iseyin Local government of Oyo State between 1959 and 1967.
He was at the Muslim Modern School in the same town between 1968 and 1969 before proceeding to Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Saki in Oyo North of Oyo State.
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 Nigerian Bar and got enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Solicitor and Advocate soon thereafter.
He was a State Counsel on National Youth Service (NYSC) at the Ministry of Justice, Akure, Ondo State and later as Legal Officer in the Ministry of Justice of his home state Oyo State until 1988 when he voluntarily left the official bar of the State Civil Service for private practice.
He worked as Counsel in-Chambers of Chief Ladosu Ladapo, SAN between October, 1988 and July 1989 when he established Olukayode Ariwoola & Co – a firm of legal Practitioners and Consultants in Oyo town in August, 1989 from where he was appointed in November, 1992 as a Judge of Oyo State Judiciary.
He was born to the Ariwoola family of Iseyin over 60 years ago. Born on the 22nd August, he was sworn in as a Judge of the High Court on 2nd November 1992, as a Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA) on 22nd November 2005 and again was sworn in as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (JSC) on 22nd November, 2011.
Justice Ariwoola served as: Chairman, Board of Directors, Phonex Motors Ltd – one of Oodua Investment conglomerate between 1988 and 1992; and
Chairman, Armed Robbery Tribunal, Oyo State between May 1993 and September 1996 when he was posted out of the headquarters, Ibadan to Saki High Court;
He served on the Election Tribunals in Zamfara and Enugu States in 1999; on Election Appeal Courts in Port-Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Yola and Ilorin at various times.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, he served as Justice of Court of Appeal in Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos Divisions.
He is also a fellow of International Dispute Resolution Institute (FIDRI) having been inducted in Dubai, U.A.E in 2014.
He has attended many International and National conferences and workshops in France, Atlanta Georgia, UK and Dubai, UAE; and he is happily married with children.
