Stephen Ukandu, News & Features Editor
The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, was born on August 22, 1954.
He hails from Iseyin, in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo state.
Ariwoola obtained his first degree in law (LL. B) from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
Before his elevation as a Justice of the Supreme Court, Ariwoola was appointed a judge of the Oyo State High Court in 1992 and later made a Justice of the Court of Appeal in November 2005.
He was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as Justice on November 22, 2011.
Justice Ariwoola is a Member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association, and the Nigerian Body of Benchers.
Ikengaonline reports that Justice Ariwoola was Monday afternoon, sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Acting CJN following the sudden resignation of the former CJN, Tanko Muhammad, who threw in the towel on health grounds.
Analysts, however, believe his resignation might not be unconnected with last week’s protest letter against him by 14 out of the 15 Justices of the Supreme Court.
The Justices who complained bitterly over the gross neglect of their welfare and total disregard to norms since Tanko assumed office, said they would no longer put up with the anomalies.
The Justices who said it was not their intension to expose the happenings at the Supreme Court for public discussion, demanded explanations from the CJN on why the Justices of the apex court no longer enjoyed their full entitlements under his watch despite increased budgetary provisions.
They expressed shock that the latest set of Justices sworn in since November 6, 2020, are yet to be accommodated by the Supreme Court, just as they also do not yet have the full complements of their vehicles.
The Justices demanded explanations on what happened to their training funds, asking “if they have stopped coming or diverted?”
The apex court Justices equally decried the sorry state of the Supreme Court clinic which they described as a mere consulting clinic without drugs and necessary facilities.
They described as the height of the deterioration in the apex court, a recent circular by the Chief Registrar of the court, informing the Justices that power supply to the apex court would be restricted from 8:00am-4:00pm due to the hike in the price of diesel.
“Recently, the Chief Registrar served Justices with an internal memo, that electricity would be supplied to the Court between the hours of 8am and 4pm daily, for lack of diesel. The implication of this memo is that the Justices must finish their work and close before 4pm.
“Your Lordship with all due respect, this is the peak of the degeneration of the Court; it is the height of decadence, and clear evidence of the absence of probity and moral rectitude. Your Lordship, this act alone portends imminent danger to the survival of this Court and the Judiciary as an institution, which is gradually drifting to extinction. The Judiciary is an arm of Government. The Supreme Court of Nigeria, just like the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly, is the seat of the Judiciary as an arm of Government. The implication of the memo is that this arm of Government is potentially shut down.”
The Justices demanded immediate action, or they would be forced to consider a swift measure to correct the observed anomalies.
