The Presidency, on Wednesday, described Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun’s appointment as Chief Justice of Nigeria as a testament to President Bola Tinubu’s respect for seniority and merit in the judiciary.
Senator Basheer Lado, Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), stated this in a statement on Wednesday following the CJN’s confirmation by the Senate.
Kekere-Ekun was screened and confirmed as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) by the Senate on Wednesday.
Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, announced Kekere-Ekun’s confirmation at plenary after she was cleared by voice vote.
The 66-year-old jurist is Nigeria’s 23rd substantive Chief Justice and the second woman to hold the position.
The new Chief Justice was grilled for about two hours by parliamentarians, who questioned her on a variety of issues, including judiciary reforms.
Senators cleared Kekere-Ekun in the Committee of the Whole.
The confirmation was made under Section 231 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Lado stated that Kekere-Ekun’s appointment did not only speak to her pedigree but to the fact that the President had respect for the guidelines of appointment in the judiciary.
“The appointment of the CJN is a demonstration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s continued commitment to a revamped judiciary.
“The appointment of the CJN is a demonstration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s continued commitment to a revamped judiciary.
“He has since assumed office and demonstrated his determination to ensure a judiciary that will not only ensure speedy dispensation of justice but ensure that every Nigerian gets justice.
“The appointment of 11 justices onto the bench of the apex court, which enables the Supreme Court to attain its full complement of 21 justices for the very first time, is a case in point.
“Also, the President’s assent to the bill on the increment of salaries of judicial officers is one of the several policies of the government aimed at repositioning the judiciary.
“I commend the 10th Senate for the continued support in ensuring that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is well implemented.
“The speedy screening and confirmation of the CJN shows the Senate’s commitment to working with the executive to deliver the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
