Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, retired from the bench on August 22, 2024, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Ariwoola served as CJN for two years, having been appointed in June 2022 and confirmed by the Senate in September 2022.
During his tenure, Ariwoola achieved the goal of ensuring the Supreme Court attained its full complement of 21 justices for the first time.
He recommended the appointment of 11 new justices, including those who presided over the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Court.
Ariwoola was born in Iseyin, Oyo State, and graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) before being called to the Nigerian bar in 1981.
He served as a judge in Oyo State and at the Court of Appeal before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2011.
The National Judicial Council is set to recommend a successor to fill Ariwoola’s vacant seat on the Supreme Court.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-ekun, the most senior justice after Ariwoola, is expected to become the next Chief Justice of Nigeria.