Ariwoola: Ode to meritorious judicial service

THE saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step is only a side of a coin; it only focuses on the beginning of journeys. The flipside to the matter is that the journey of a thousand miles also ends with a step. For Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, General Commander of the Order of the Niger and outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, the journey that began with a step in 1992, when he was appointed a Judge in Oyo State, is ending with one giant and applause-attracting step as Chief Justice of Nigeria. The ovations, laudation and positive reviews that have trailed Honourable Justice Ariwoola’s last step of the judicial journey have, however, brought to mind the words of Ecclesiastes 7:8 that the end of a matter is better than the beginning. Indeed, the Iseyin-born Judicial icon, who is bowing out on account of age, as he clocks 70 on August 22, 2024, has been attracting the veneration befitting of great Judges in history. People who did not have the privilege of being alive to witness the sagacity of Lord Denning, Earl Warren or Sir Ademola Adetokunbo have in Ariwoola a close-to-home reference for judicial excellence. Such is the allure of the retiring CJN’s last step of the journey in the judiciary. Appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria on June 27, 2022 after close to 11 years at the apex court and confirmed as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria on September 21, 2022, Justice Ariwoola took the saddle of leading the judiciary at a period that it could be said to be at its lowest ebb.

Unmistakably, Nigerians’ confidence in the Judiciary was on its way to the abyss while the Judicial officers had also faced a sort of hounding from the hands of the Executive Arm in a manner that was unbecoming of a democratic country. For those who may have forgotten, those were days when security agents busted Judges’ homes, scaring the hell out of the ministers in the Temple of Justice and drawing flak from lawyers and other Nigerians, who saw the act as an intimidation of the judiciary. Though Justice Ariwoola could not be said to have got the memo to prepare adequately for the herculean task he was taking, as his predecessor in office, Justice Ibrahim Tanko (retd) resigned from office abruptly, he demonstrated the finest spirit of an average Oke Ogun, Oyo State man, meeting the task with courage and fighting against all odds to reposition the Judiciary. Senior Advocates of Nigeria, lawyers and even laymen have continued to commend Justice Ariwoola’s ability to bring stability to the judiciary and boost the low morale he inherited. He was also able to thaw the ice between the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and the judiciary, officials of which security agents were hounding. In the end, he rebuilt confidence between the executive arm and the judiciary and reassured judicial officials, who in turn, discharged their duties with fear or favour, with several landmark judgments being outcomes of the rest of mind they enjoy in the discharge of their duties.

The outgoing CJN has also been commended for bringing efficiency into the Judicial system, with the recent swearing-in of 11 new justices of the Supreme Courtis described as a remarkable achievement. It is on record that for over a decade, the apex court has never attained its full complement of 21 Justices, a development that has not only overworked the Justices but also slowed down the wheel of justice. But in a move that will remain remarkable for a long time to come, the Justice Ariwoola-led Supreme Court has not only flown where others dreaded to tread by bringing the number of Justices at the Supreme Court to the expected 21, it also showed dexterity and efficiency with the appointment of judges across the board. Apart from boosting the morale of judicial officers and restoring efficiency to the judiciary, it will be to Justice Ariwoola’s eternal commendation that the Supreme Court was able to restore Nigerians’ confidence in the judiciary by living up to the expectations of the people and the age-long notion that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Faced with a decision on Naira redesign championed by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Supreme Court under Justice Ariwoola, in 2023, refused to kowtow or pander to the whims of the Federal Government.

Probably taking a cue from the words of United States’ Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy that “the bedrock of democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing,” the Supreme Court stood its ground and on the side of the millions of suffering Nigerian masses. The decision marked one of the finest hours of the judiciary in a long time, as it freed thousands of households from the chokeholds of deprivation and want. Following that landmark decision, which also came quite close to the general election, in which the Supreme Court also showed itself as impartial and unbiased in the way it handled the presidential election appeal, Nigerians had the opportunity to understand the import of the Iseyin man manning the Supreme Court. Like the finest of gold showing forth after a romance with the furnace, the manner of man Justice Ariwoola is came to light: a courageous judicial officer who will always stand on the side of the truth and the Law. Expectedly, the encomium has continued to pour in for the outgoing CJN, showing the deep appreciation that Nigerians have for Justice Ariwoola, who came, worked hard and finished well as Nigeria’s 18th CJN.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, according to a report in the Punch newspaper, however, seemed to have summed up all the commendations when said that Justice Ariwoola’s tenure has been marked by a commitment to integrity, fairness, and justice, which has earned him admiration and respect within and beyond the legal community. He said: “Justice Ariwoola’s tenure saw significant judicial reforms and efforts to combat corruption. His administration was notable for its role in overseeing the most keenly contested election since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999.” As the curtain is drawn on the judicial career of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the first CJN of Oyo State extraction and the first from South-West Nigeria in over 40 years, lawyers and individuals with interest in the judiciary will have something to draw from as his acts go into annals of judicial history. But today is not for history; it is for a toast to Honourable Justice Ariwoola and for saying thank you to him for representing Oke Ogun and Oyo State well.