By Lillian Okenwa
Years ago, attaining leadership positions for women in Nigeria’s judiciary seemed like a mirage. Today, however, women have gathered clout; and finally, they are getting a shot at leading in the judiciary. It is noteworthy that Between February and May 2023, four states in Nigeria welcomed female Chief Judges.
On Friday 5 May 2023, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, swore in Hon. Justice Lilian Abai as the substantive Chief Judge of the state. While congratulating the new CJ, the governor noted that her stint as Acting Chief Judge recorded tremendous positive changes which he described as a sign of greater things to come.
Then on Monday 8 May, 2023, Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri swore in Hon. Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman as the first female Chief Judge of Adamawa State. Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman who pledged to promote the course of justice in the state “in accordance with the dictates of the judicial oath” was first appointed Acting Chief Judge of the state in December 2022.
The elated Governor Fintiri proudly announced: “We are making history as a government by having the first female Chief Judge in the history of the state. Her emergence is, therefore, a watershed development in gender mainstreaming and a testament that the girl-child is at liberty to rise and become anything with merit, devoid of any man-made barriers in Adamawa State.
“To parents, I must say, if we are looking for a role model for our daughters, this is a perfect place to come to – merit, right, truth, hard work, dedication, fairness, and justice.”
Earlier in April, the governor of Oyo, Seyi Makinde swore in Hon. Justice Iyabo Yerima as the new chief judge of the state. She was appointed judge of the High Court of Oyo State in June 2001.
February 2023 saw Justice Halima Mohammed becoming the second female Chief Judge of Gombe State. Born on May 3, 1963, in Tula, Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state, Her Lordship also attended Queen Elizabeth School Ilorin, Kwara like Hon. Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, a female and the pioneer Chief Judge of Gombe.
After much controversy, Hon. Justice Akon Bassey Ikpeme was on February 8, 2021, sworn in as substantive Chief Judge of Cross-River State. At the time, she was the most senior judge in the Cross-River State judiciary, the governor elected to appoint Hon. Justice Maurice Eneji, a man next to her in the rank of seniority as Acting CJ.
The quarrel was that she is a woman and from Akwa Ibom State notwithstanding that her husband is an indigene of Cross-River State. Rather than confirm her as substantive CJ when her tenure expired as Acting CJ on 2 March 2020, the governor swore in Eneji as the Acting CJ. Thankfully Civil Society Organisations, and stakeholders in the justice sector, particularly the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) weighed in and overturned a gross violation and abuse of fundamental human rights that was playing out.
In Nasarawa state, Governor Abdullahi Sule on Monday 12 April 2021 swore in Aisha Bashir-Aliyu as the state’s first female Chief Judge. She is the fifth Chief Judge since the state was created in 1996.
Thereafter, the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa in June of the same year, swore in two females as Chief Judge and President of the Customary Court of Appeal respectively.
Hon. Justice Theresa Diai is the Chief Judge of Delta State while Hon. Justice Patience Elumeze is the President of the Customary Court of Appeal. Acknowledging this rarity, Governor Okowa remarked: “Rarely does it happen that you have two women heading both tiers of the judiciary in the state at the same time.”
By October, Hon. Justice Ekaette Francesca Fabian Obot had been sworn in as Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom state. She is the third woman to occupy the office in the state and the 8th substantive CJ of the state.
The story gets more interesting in Lagos.
The late Hon. Justice Rosaline Omotosho was sworn in as Chief Judge of Lagos State on 12 April 1995. She is the first female CJ in the country and got succeeded by Hon. Justice Victoria Sotuminu.
Victoria Sotuminu handed over to Hon. Justice Inumidun Enitan Akande in September 2009. Akande in turn passed the baton to another female, Hon. Justice Ayotunde Phillips in 2012. Again, in August 2014, Ayotunde Phillips handed over to her younger sister, Hon. Justice Funmilayo Atilade. Chief Judge Atilade handed over to yet another female judge, Justice Opeyemi Oke, who exited the bench on 10 June 2019.
At the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Rose Nonyem Ukeje was elevated to serve as the first female Chief Judge. She was CJ from 2001 to 2008.
Moreover, on 16 July 2012, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar became the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the 13th indigenous CJN.
Presently, a woman is heading Nigeria’s Court of Appeal and she is the second. Hon Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem was sworn in as the President, of the Court of Appeal, on 19th June 2020.
The first is Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa who was appointed on April 17, 2014. Coincidentally, she was sworn in by the first female CJN, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.
