The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Wednesday, February 25, swore in Justice Joseph Oyewole as a justice of the Supreme Court, restoring the apex court to its full complement of 21 justices as provided under Section 230(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The oath-taking ceremony, held at the Supreme Court in Abuja, saw the CJN administer both the Oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath to the newly appointed jurist. She described the occasion as carrying “an added institutional importance”, noting that the court would now be better positioned to address the backlog of cases awaiting judicial determination.
“This is no small milestone. A full court enhances our capacity to sit in robust panels, to manage our docket more efficiently, and to ensure that the business of the nation’s apex court proceeds with renewed vigour and dispatch. It enriches intellectual diversity and reinforces the stability of our jurisprudence,” she said. “For a court whose pronouncements shape the legal destiny of the nation, numerical completeness is structurally significant to the effective discharge of our constitutional mandate.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasised that appointment to the Supreme Court is not merely the culmination of a distinguished legal career but “the acceptance of a sacred national responsibility.”
“The Supreme Court stands at the apex of our judicial architecture. Its pronouncements settle controversies, shape the development of our jurisprudence, and define the contours of constitutional governance,” she stated.
“Its judgements do not speak only to the parties before it; they speak to generations yet unborn. The authority of this court rests not on force, but on the moral weight of its reasoning, the discipline of its processes, and the integrity of men and women privileged to serve on its bench.”
The CJN described Justice Oyewole’s elevation as a testament to his “disciplined scholarship, fidelity to the law, and distinguished service on the bench,” adding that his record reflects “intellectual depth, independence of thought, clarity of expression, and a clear appreciation of the relationship between enduring legal principles and evolving social realities.”
She further urged the new justice to remain courageous and principled in the discharge of his duties, including the willingness to dissent where necessary. “Where your Lordship’s considered conviction differs from that of your brother justices; Your Lordship must have the courage to dissent with courtesy and precision. A principled dissent, expressed with intellectual honesty, is not a fracture of unity; it is often the seed of future doctrinal growth,” she said.
Justice Kekere-Ekun also reminded him that the oath of office represents “a covenant, binding in conscience and in law,” requiring moral courage, restraint and steadfastness, particularly under intense public scrutiny. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Oyewole served as the presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division.
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