By Our Correspondent
The newly confirmed Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has vowed to enforce strict discipline, uphold judicial integrity, zero-tolerance for corruption and leverage on technology for speedy justice dispensation in the country.
Justice Kekere-Ekun who stated this Wednesday while responding to lawmakers’ questions during confirmation screening assured the Senate that she will enforce disciplinary measures against judges found guilty of misconduct.
She emphasized the role of the National Judicial Council’s (NJC) performance evaluation committee, which assesses judges’ work in terms of quality, punctuality, and overall conduct.
She mentioned plans to further tighten these evaluation processes to uphold high judicial standards.
Addressing concerns about judicial independence, she called for a more transparent and rigorous process for appointing judicial officers, assuring the Senate that the NJC is actively working on improvements and stressed the need for better welfare and infrastructure for judicial officers to ensure they can perform their duties effectively.
On the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court, Kekere-Ekun advocated limiting the number of cases reaching the apex court, particularly pre-election and interlocutory appeals, arguing that many cases should conclude at the Court of Appeal to allow the Supreme Court focus on policy and constitutional matters.
Rather than increasing the number of justices at the Supreme Court as a way out, she proposed refining case jurisdiction to reduce congestion.
Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasized her willingness to collaborate with the National Assembly and Executive to reform laws that promote judicial independence and improve the legal system.
