JUSTICE Olukayode Ariwoola, today, retired as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), with a call for measures to be put in place to reduce the burden on the Supreme Court.
He explained that there are too many cases before the apex court that ought to have been terminated at the appellate court.
Justice Ariwoola stated this at a valedictory session in his honour at the Supreme Court in Abuja. He said access to justice has contributed largely to the delay in hearing cases as litigants and lawyers are forced to wait several years to have their cases decided.
Justice Ariwoola explained that the right to a fair hearing can only be guaranteed when lawyers and litigants do not have to wait so long to hear their cases.
He also stressed the need for the bench to have more judicial officers to adjudicate on all matters timeously.
Then President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Ariwoola as acting CJN in June 2022 following the resignation of Justice Tanko Muhammad on health grounds. Ariwoola was subsequently sworn in October of the same year following his confirmation by the Senate.
Ariwoola 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.
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 Bar and enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Solicitor.
Ariwoola turned 70 today, August 22, 2024.
Meanwhile, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as CJN.