Olukayode Ariwoola scales through senate screening becoming chief justice of Nigeria

SENATORS have just confirmed the nomination of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria after he sailed through a screening exercise this morning during which he answered questions from lawmakers.

On June 27, Justice Ariwoola was sworn-in as the acting chief justice of Nigeria following the sudden resignation of Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, who said he could no longer continue due to health challenges. Justice Ariwoola was at the time the most senior justice of the Supreme Court and in line with the provisions of the constitution, he automatically assumed the top position.

Born on 22 August 1958, Justice Ariwoola was formerly a justice of the Court of Appeal and was elevated to the Supreme Court bench. Justice Ariwoola who was born on August 22, 1958 in Iseyin, in Oyo State and appointed a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011, was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after having been elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State.

Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, he had served as a justice of the Court of Appeal in the Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos divisions.  Justice Ariwoola was first appointed a judge of Superior Court of Record in Oyo State in 1992, having being brought in from private legal practice.

Today, his appointment was confirmed by the senate, with the motion for the screening moved by senate leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, at 11.35 am. He moved that the senate resolve into the Committee of the Whole to conduct the screening and suspend its relevant rules to admit the acting chief justice and his entourage into the chambers.

Subsequently, Justice Ariwoola and all the justices of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeal, the president of the Federal High Court, the president of the National Industrial Court and the secretary of the National Judicial Council walked into the chambers and took their seats. After satisfactorily answering all the questions put to him, Justice Ariwoola was cleared by senators.