The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has adduced reasons why the National Judicial Council, NJC, under her leadership, made the publication of names of those seeking to be appointed as judges, mandatory.

According to the CJN, the policy is a deliberate effort to strengthen accountability, enhance public trust, and align the appointment procedures with international best practices as enunciated in the Constitution Hill Guidelines.

She explained that the strategy 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 could raise objections, provide information, or endorse nominees before appointments are finalized.

Justice Kekere-Ekun made the disclosure while presenting a paper, entitled: “Innovations in judicial practice: Embracing change for a better future,” at the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges’ Association Triennial Conference held in Banjul, The Gambia.

The Constitution Hill Global Guidelines on Apex Court Appointments, published in September 2024, provided a global set of baseline principles tailored to the singular role of apex courts as final arbiters of constitutional interpretation and guardians of democratic governance.

In a statement by her media aide, Mr. Tobi Soniyi, the CJN, revealed that the initiative has already yielded positive outcomes as members of the public forwarded their observations in the last appointment that was made by the NJC.

She stressed 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.”

However, the CJN noted that despite several efforts to strengthen the appointment of judicial officers, challenges remained.

She identified some of the challenges to include executive delays in acting on recommendations for appointments made by the NJC, which she said could impair the court’s capacity to sit at full strength.

Other challenges, she said include the requirement for security vetting and the interpretation of federal character requirements, which often spark debate about whether merit was being compromised for inclusivity.

Justice Kekere-Ekun, however, assured the audience, among whom were Chief Justices of Commonwealth countries, that Nigeria would continue to appoint to the bench, only people who satisfy constitutional, professional and ethical standards.

While in the Gambia, the CJN also visited the Nigeria High Commission in Banjul, where she was received by the chargé d’affaires, Muhammed Usman; Head of Chancery, Amali Musa, and other staff of the commission, the statement added. (Vanguard)