The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has declared that the process for the appointment of judicial officers has become more transparent than before.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, who is also the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), said this while presenting a paper, titled: Innovations in Judicial Practice: Embracing Change for A Better Future, at the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges’ Association Triennial Conference in Banjul, The Gambia.
The NJC, at the 108th meeting of the association on April 29 and 30, approved a landmark policy to publish the names of candidates under consideration for appointment as judicial officers, and to invite public input.
In her presentation, she explained that the policy adopted by the NJC was to introduce an additional layer of transparency into the process of appointing judges by ensuring that members of the public and other relevant stakeholders can raise objections, provide information, or endorse nominees before appointments are finalised.
According to her, this is a deliberate effort to strengthen accountability, enhance public trust, and align Nigeria’s appointment procedures more closely with international best practices, including those recommended in the Constitution Hill Guidelines.
The Constitution Hill Global Guidelines on Apex Court Appointments, published in September 2024, provide globally for a set of baseline principles tailored to the singular role of apex courts as the final arbiters of constitutional interpretation and guardians of democratic governance.
Justice Kekere-Ekun noted that members of the public are already taking advantage of the initiative, as shown in the last exercise for the appointment of judicial officers conducted by the NJC.
The CJN averred that “in a plural society, such as Nigeria, with over 200 million citizens across different ethnic, religious, and linguistic identities, the visibility of diversity on the Supreme Court bench strengthens public confidence and assures citizens that the judiciary reflects the society it serves”.
She stressed that despite several efforts to strengthen the process of appointing judicial officers, some challenges linger.
