President Bola Tinubu is expected to return to the country today, August 22, after a brief trip to France.
The President’s hurried return is to enable him to preside over the inauguration of Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Friday.
According to Presidency sources, President Tinubu considers the swearing-in of Justice Kekere-Ekun as a historic responsibility and a constitutional duty.
The National Judicial Council last week recommended Justice Kekere-Ekun to succeed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who is expected to formally bow out today.
Justice Kekere-Ekun who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2013 began her judicial career as a Senior Magistrate II in the Lagos State Judiciary, rising to become a State High Court Judge. She served as Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, from 1996 to 1999. She was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian Courts of Appeal in 2004.
President Tinubu departed Abuja on Monday for Paris, using the new Airbus A330, which replaced the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700(BBJ) bought during the Presidency of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
