That the Supreme Court is over burdened with too many cases that ought to have terminated at the appellate court was the concern of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who this Thursday, (22/08/24) retired as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), with a call for immediate measures to be put in place to reduce the burden on the apex Court.
Speaking at a valedictory session in his honour at the Supreme Court in Abuja, Justice Ariwoola made it clear that the right to fair hearing can only be guaranteed when lawyers and litigants do not have to wait for so long to have their cases heard.
While stressing the need for the bench to have more judicial officers to adjudicate on all matters timeously, he explained that access to justice has contributed largely to the delay in the hearing of cases as litigants and lawyers are forced to wait for several years to have their cases decided.
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Ariwoola as acting CJN in June 2022 following the resignation of Justice Tanko Muhammad on health grounds and was subsequently sworn in October of the same year following his confirmation by the Senate.
Appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011, he was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after having been elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State.
With the exit of Ariwoola who turned 70 today, August 22, 2024, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as CJN.