Tomorrow, August 22, Nigeria will get its second female Chief Justice (CJN) in the person of Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun (Nee Fasinro), who takes over the helms of affairs at the Supreme Court as Justice Olukayode Ariwoola takes a bow at the required age of 70.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, acclaimed to be one of the pioneer African Women in law has blazed a trail of excellence in her career; she is the fifth and youngest female to be appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and is a judicial officer that moved through every step of the ladder on the bench.
She was born in London, United Kingdom on May 7, 1958 was blessed to have quality education at all levels; she attended private primary schools before proceeding in 1970 to Queen’s College, Lagos, after which she studied Law at the University of Lagos where she obtained her LL.B between 1977 to 1980, following which she attended the Nigerian Law School from 1980 to 1981 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1981 after she served her compulsory one year of National Youth Service at the Ministry of Justice, Benin City, Edo State (previously Bendel State)
She thereafter proceeded to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) where she obtained a master’s degree in law in 1983 after she went into private law practice before she decided to join the bench and was appointed by the Lagos State Judiciary as a Senior Magistrate Grade II in December 1989, marking the beginning of her career on the bench. She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State on July 19, 1996 from where she was she was elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 2004, where she consequently served in five divisions across the country.
She was the pioneer Presiding Justice of the Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal and also served as the Presiding Justice of the Akure Division of the Court of Appeal before her elevation to the Supreme Court in July 2013 and is a member of the Supreme Court Rules Committee and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Litigation Department of the Court.
She carried out special assignments in various positions; she was the Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, Lagos, from November 1996 till May 1999 when the Tribunals were abolished. Also, in recognition of her reputation for integrity and hard work, she was one of three judges of the Lagos State High Court first selected to try offenses relating to financial crimes and money laundering under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In 2003, she served as a member of the Ethics Curriculum Planning Committee of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID) and UNODC to produce the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. Further, she chaired the Public Complaints and Training Committee that was part of the UNODC pilot project on strengthening judicial integrity and capacity in Lagos State from February 2003 till July 2004. The Public Complaints Committee investigated complaints against magistrates in the performance of their official duties and became pivotal for the reform of the justice delivery system in the magistrate courts.
She was a member of the committee that drafted the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004 which introduced innovations in case management such as the front-loading concept, pre-trial conference, and the application of ADR mechanisms for the speedy dispensation of justice from April 2002 till December 2002. And from December 2001 to December 2004, she served as a member of the Steering Committee of the Lagos State Multi-Door Court House, the first court-connected Alternative Dispute Resolution center in Africa. At the Court of Appeal, she served on the Information Technology Committee, which was to facilitate the computerization of the court.
She had a privileged background from parents that are both indigenes of Lagos State; Alhaji Senator H.A.B. Fasinro, OFR, LL.D, a legal practitioner who belonged to at least three royal families in Lagos and very active in politics as well as a mother, Mrs. Winifred Layiwola Ogundimu (née Savage), who studied nursing in the UK where she qualified as a Public Health Nurse before returning to Nigeria in December 1965. Upon her return to Nigeria, she built her career in the civil service of Lagos State and retired years later at the age of 60. Mrs. Ogundimu is currently the head of a large and prominent Lagos family, the Savage Family.
Justice Kekere-Ekun has been married to Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, OFR, since December 1983 and the union is blessed with three children who are all graduates and excelling in their chosen fields.
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