Nigeria to get first Female Chief Justice

Nigeria to get first Female Chief Justice
Obiora Ani, Abuja

The Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has forwarded the name of Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar to the Senate for consideration and confirmation as the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.

In a letter to the Senate read by the Senate President, David Mark, at plenary, the President requested the Senate to give expedited consideration of the nomination of justice Mukhtar.

President Jonathan also forwarded the names of Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs from the North West Zone geo political zone and Justice Stanley Shenko Alagoa from the South -South zone for consideration and confirmation as justices of the Court of Appeal.

He said the appointments were necessitated by the impending retirement from service of Justice Dahiru Musdapher, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Justice F.F. Tabai.

All the nominations are on the recommendations of the country’s National Judicial Council.

Senate approval
Meanwhile, the Senate has approved the taking over of the Prison Decongestion Programme of the Nigerian government by the Legal Aid Council, an arm of the Ministry of Justice.

This followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; Interior and Police Affairs on a motion on the Plight of Persons Awaiting Trial in Nigerian Prisons.

The Senate also recommended that the Constitution Review Committee amends the constitution to remove prisons from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative list.

Nineteen of the twenty recommendations were approved by the Senate.
The report indicated that over Eight Billion Naira has been expended on the prison decongestion programme since 2006 under the Federal Ministry of Justice.

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