Senate confirms Onnoghen as CJN

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Walter Onnoghen as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
This followed his screening by Committee of the Whole at Wednesday’s plenary for one hour, 15 minutes.
During the session, senators questioned the jurist on issues bothering on independence of the judiciary, judicial reforms, corruption in the Judiciary, as well as disobedience of court orders.
The new CJN stressed that the independence of the judiciary would continue under his watch.
In recent times, the Judiciary has been in the spotlight with justices of the Supreme Court and judges of Federal High Courts under trial in various courts across the country for charges ranging from corruption to illegal possession of fire arms.
While stressing that the judiciary would come out stronger, Onnoghen warned that politicising the judiciary would be the end of the country.
According to him, a new policy is being developed to ensure that lawyers are made to bear the cost of proceedings for cases brought to the apex court that ought to have ended in the Appeal Court.
Onnoghen, who hails from Cross River State, is the first Southern jurist to ascend to the CJN position in 30 years.
Apart from Ayo Irekefe (from Delta State) who was the CJN between 1985 and 1987, his eight successors were from the North.
They include: Mohammed Bello 1987 to1995, Muhammad Uwais 1995 to 2006, Salihu Moddibo Alfa Belgore 2006 to 2007, Idris Kutigi 2007 to 2009, Aloysius Katsina-Alu 2009 to 2011, Dahiru Musdapher 2011 to 2012,
Aloma Mariam Mukhtar 2012 to 2014 and Mahmud Mohammed 2014 to 2016.
Although the National Judicial Council (NJC) had recommended Onnoghen, the most senior jurist at the apex court, as CJN, President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 10, 2016, okayed him to head the judiciary in acting position.
However, condemnations trailed the President’s decision not to forward his name to the Senate for confirmation, in line with Section 231 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
On February 7, 2017 – three days to the expiration of Onnoghen’s tenure as acting CJN – Acting President Yemi Osinbajo forwarded his name to the upper legislative chamber for confirmation.