***Vows to enforce strict discipline
Following her screening at the Senate and subsequent confirmation on Wednesday, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun9, reaffirmed her dedication to upholding judicial integrity and enforcing strict discipline across the judiciary.
She highlighted her zero-tolerance for corruption and commitment to ensuring compliance with the judiciary’s code of conduct.
Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasized the role of the National Judicial Council’s (NJC) performance evaluation committee, which assesses judges’ work in terms of quality, punctuality, and overall conduct.
She mentioned plans to further tighten these evaluation processes to uphold high judicial standards.
Addressing concerns about judicial independence, she called for a more transparent and rigorous process for appointing judicial officers, assuring the Senate that the NJC is actively working on improvements.
She stressed the need for better welfare and infrastructure for judicial officers to ensure they can perform their duties effectively.
On the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court, Kekere-Ekun advocated limiting the number of cases reaching the apex court, particularly pre-election and interlocutory appeals.
She argued that many cases should conclude at the Court of Appeal to allow the Supreme Court to focus on policy and constitutional matters. Rather than increasing the number of justices, she proposed refining case jurisdiction to reduce congestion.
In closing, Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasized her willingness to collaborate with the National Assembly and Executive to reform laws that promote judicial independence and improve the legal system.
