Jonathan nominates Mukhtar as CJN, presents name to Senate

NIGERIA will soon have its first female Chief Justice of Nigeria as President Goodluck Jonathan has nominated Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, whose name has been presented to the Senate for confirmation.
The present Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, would retire on July 15, 2012.
This was contained in a letter written by President Jonathan and addressed to the Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday.
The letter, dated July 3, 2012, said the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria was in conformity with Section 231, sub-section 1 of the 1999 Constitution as amended which gives the president powers to appoint the chief justice.
Jonathan noted that he was nominating and forwarding the name of Justice Mukhtar based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council and subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
The president also forwarded the names of two justices of the Court of Appeal for confirmation as justices of the Supreme Court in accordance with Section 231, sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
They are Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs, currently a justice of the Court of Appeal from the North-West zone and Justice Stanley Shenko Alagoa, also of the Court of Appeal from the South-South zone.
The president said the appointments were also based on the recommendations of the National Judicial Council, adding that the appointments were necessitated by the impending retirement of Justice Musdapher and Justice F. F. Tabai.