Acting President Yemi Osinbajo will today swear in Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). Presidency sources disclosed yesterday that the inauguration would take place at 9:00am inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Justice Onnoghen’s nomination was last week confirmed by the Senate. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on extended vacation in the United Kingdom, had last November inaugurated Onnoghen as acting CJN sequel to the retirement of Justice Mahmud Mohammed. The acting president had on February 7 forwarded Onnoghen’s nomination to the Senate. Onnoghen will be the 20th person to occupy the position since 1914, according to judiciary records.
Sixty-six year-old Walter Samuel Onnoghen has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria since 2005. He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed, in acting capacity, Justice Mahmood Muhammed in November last year. He graduated from the University of Ghana at Legon, Ghana in 1977 and from the Nigerian Law School in Lagos in 1978. Before joining the Supreme Court, he was a judge in Cross River State and a justice of the Court of Appeal. Onnoghen was born on the 22 December 1950 at Okurike Town, Biase local government area of Cross Rivers State.
Here is the list of Nigerian chief justices since 1914:
1. Sir Edwin Speed, 1914-1918
2. Sir Ralph Combe, 1918-1929
3. Donald kingdon, 1929-1946
4. Sir John Verity, 1946-1954
5. Sir Stafford Sutton, 1955-1958
6. Adetokunbo Ademola, 1958-1972
7. Taslim Olawale Elias, 1972-1975
8. Darnley Arthur Alexander, 1975-1979
9. Atanda Fatai Williams, 1979-1983
10. George Shodeinde Sowewimo, 1983-1985
11. Ayo Gabriel Irikefe, 1985-1987
12. Mohammed Bello, 1987-1995
13. Muhammad Lawal Uwais, 1995-2006
14. Salihu Moddibo Alfa Belgore, 2006-2007
15. Idris Legbo Kutigi, 2007-2009
16. Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu, 2009-2011
17. Dahiru Musdapher, 2011-2012
18. Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, 2012-2014
19. Mahmoud Mohammed, 2014-2016
20. Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, November 2016 till date.
NAN
