Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the 22nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has officially retired from service.

This follows his attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 70.

In a valedictory session held in his honour at the Supreme Court in Abuja, Justice Ariwoola reflected on his time in office.

He called for access to justice to be made readily available, noting that delays in hearing cases have contributed significantly to the backlog of cases in the courts. Justice Ariwoola stressed that the right to fair hearing can only be guaranteed when lawyers and litigants do not have to wait for extended periods to have their cases heard.

Justice Ariwoola’s journey to the top of the judiciary began in 1981 when he was called to the Bar and enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Solicitor. He served as a Justice of the State High Court of Oyo State before being elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2005.

Justice Ariwoola was appointed to the Supreme Court bench in 2011 and later became the substantive CJN in June 2022, following the resignation of his predecessor, Justice Tanko Muhammad.

Meanwhile, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun is expected to be named as his successor. Sources hint that Kekere-Ekun will be sworn in on Friday.