Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has praised Lagos and Kano States for taking the lead in the appointment women to judicial positions.
Justice Kekere-Ekun described their efforts as a model for achieving gender balance across Nigeria’s judiciary.
The CJN made the remarks while speaking at the 25th biennial conference of the National Association of Women Judges of Nigeria (NAWJIN)
Justice Kekere-Ekun expressed hope that the country is steadily progressing toward meaningful gender equity on the Bench, even as some states still lag behind.
She said : “Lagos and Kano are now front-runners in female representation within the judiciary.
“In fact, in some areas, they are female-dominated.
“But we still have states where women are barely visible on the Bench.”
Nigeria’s second female Chief Justice, Kekere-Ekun underscored that true inclusivity must go beyond tokenism.
“We’ve made commendable strides, but the journey toward full inclusivity is far from over.
“Our goal is to reach a point where counting the number of women in leadership becomes unnecessary because equality is simply normal,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of women’s participation in governance, she stressed that women possess innate leadership qualities, especially multitasking and productivity that are essential in delivering justice and policy reforms.
She called for gender-sensitive laws and policies that broaden women’s access to justice and leadership opportunities.
The CJN noted that 20 women currently serve as heads of various courts across Nigeria.
While she called this a significant achievement, she also pointed out ongoing disparities : “In some states, there are only two female judges out of 15 or 20.
‘This is not symbolic advocacy , women have earned their place by merit and must be given the space to lead.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun encouraged female judges to remain exemplary in their conduct and performance.
She statef that their diligence would pave the way for more women in the judiciary.
In her closing remarks, she lauded Justice Binta Nyako for her leadership as President of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) from 2023 to 2025, commending her for elevating Nigeria’s reputation on the global stage.
A snapshot of gender distribution in Nigeria’s judiciary shows that while women make up 32% of judicial officers nationwide, some courts like the FCT High Court have nearly achieved gender parity (46%), whereas others still reflect a wide gap.
Source – BarristerNG
(vitalnewsngr.com)
