NBA Tasks Ag. CJN, Ariwoola on Sanitizing Nigerian Judiciary

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has tasked the new Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola, to commence clean-up of the Nigerian judiciary that is at its lowest ebb.

The NBA gave the charge minutes after Justice Ariwoola took over the mantle from Justice Tanko Muhammad, who resigned the office on Monday.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday afternoon swore in Ariwoola at a brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Shortly after the ceremony, the NBA, congratulated the former CJN, but also reminded him of the rot he left behind during his tenure including the present complaints against him by 14 justices of the apex court, thanking him for the cordial relationship he shared with lawyers.

In a statement signed by the NBA President, Olumide Akpata, while congratulating Muhammad for spending a long period on the bench, wished him quick recovery from his ailment while praying for a blissful retirement years, pointed to the ruckus in the judiciary under him, which he described as unprecedented.

Justice Ariwoola who was born on Aug. 22, 1958 was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011.

He was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after having been elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State.

Justice Ariwoola was first appointed a Judge of Superior Court of record in Oyo State in 1992 from private legal practice.

Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, he served as Justice of Court of Appeal in Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos Divisions. The new CJN is expected to retire by 2028.

The departing CJN – Tanko Muhammad who reportedly spent his last days at the pinnacle of the judicial seat battling his colleagues over sundry issues including corruption and high-handedness, tendered his resignation on Sunday, citing health issues. Mohammad who ascended the position on a controversial note, lasted three years in the saddle.

The decision by President Muhammadu Buhari, to appoint Justice Tanko following a controversial sacking of Justice Walter Onnoghen, in January 2019 raised hoopla across the country, with the presidency accused of nepotism.