The most senior justice of the Supreme Court, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has been confirmed as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), becoming the 23rd person to hold the position.
Her confirmation came on Wednesday after a two-hour session where she fielded questions from senators, Okay.ng reports.
Kekere-Ekun had served as acting CJN since August following the retirement of her predecessor. During her confirmation hearing, she discussed the judicial reforms she plans to implement, including the use of virtual proceedings and the promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to reduce congestion in correctional facilities.
“I will ensure that the courts are digitised. It will make it easier to track cases, and judges could be called to order if they are not treating their cases expeditiously,” Kekere-Ekun said.
She emphasized that virtual hearings would be particularly useful in expediting criminal cases, where delays often arise due to the failure to produce defendants.
She also highlighted the potential of ADR to resolve disputes more amicably: “In the courts, there is always a victor and vanquished, but in ADR, all the parties will go home satisfied.” Kekere-Ekun further committed to exploring frequent prison decongestion measures as part of her efforts to improve the judicial system.
After her testimony, Opeyemi Bamidele, the majority leader of the Senate, confirmed that there were no petitions against her nomination.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, subsequently put her nomination to a voice vote, resulting in her confirmation.
