Justice Olukayode Ariwoola bid farewell to the judiciary on Thursday, stepping down as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) with a parting shot at the nation’s crippled judicial system. At his valedictory session held at the Supreme Court in Abuja, Ariwoola didn’t lie, calling for urgent reforms to unburden the Supreme Court and fix Nigeria’s notoriously sluggish legal process.
With a judicial backlog that could give anyone a headache, Justice Ariwoola pointed out that many cases dragging the apex court’s docket should never have reached that level. Instead, they should have been resolved at the appellate court, where they belong. But in Nigeria, where every aggrieved party seems determined on dragging their grievances to the top, the Supreme Court has become the unfortunate dumping ground for endless litigation.
Ariwoola emphasized a harsh reality, access to justice in Nigeria has become identical with delay. Litigants and lawyers are left high and dry for years, waiting for a decision that may never come in their lifetime. “The right to a fair hearing is nothing but a mirage if cases languish in our courts for years on end,” he lamented.
He didn’t stop there. Ariwoola highlighted the glaring need for more judicial officers to handle the overwhelming caseload in a timely manner. It’s not like Nigeria is short on lawyers, with new barristers flooding the market every year. So what’s the real issue? A broken system that simply can’t keep up.
Justice Ariwoola, who turned 70 today, August 22, 2024, began his judicial journey with a law degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1980 and was called to the Bar in 1981. His career saw him rise from the State High Court of Oyo State to the Court of Appeal, before his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2011.
In June 2022, he was appointed as acting CJN by then-President Muhammadu Buhari after Justice Tanko Muhammad resigned due to health reasons. He was confirmed and sworn in as CJN in October 2022.
As Ariwoola steps down, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has already recommended Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for the role of the next CJN.
