Adekeye, Apex Court Jurist, Bows Out

Adekeye, Apex Court Jurist, Bows Out
By Felix Nnamdi / Judiciary Correspondent
Published on Wednesday, 31 October, 2012 by pmnews

Supreme Court jurist, Justice Olufnlola Oyelola Adekeye, who attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years on 28 October, retired from service in a valedictory session held in her honour on Wednesday at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, praised Justice Adekeye’s great ability to incisively deal with issues in a matter and noted that the retiring jurist communicates in the most simple and analytical manner that is highly commendable.

"Justice Adekeye is very versatile, a quality she brought to bear on her judgments. It is no wonder she was found worthy for appointment as presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal in the Ilorin Division in 2008," the CJN added.

Also speaking at the event, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, a senior advocate of Nigeria, lamented that Nigeria is grappling with challenges occasioned by global terrorism and noted that the present times call for concerted efforts on the part of all Nigerians to overcome it.

Adoke stated that Nigeria had signed up to many global initiatives and extensive collaboration is ongoing to ensure that advantages are taken of available intelligence to stem the tide of terrorism in the country.

“Our laws are being reviewed to encapsulate global best practices that will facilitate early detection and prevention of terrorist acts and terrorism financing. We are optimistic that the passage into law of the Terrorism Prevention Bill 2012 currently before the National Assembly will provide the needed impetus to the war against terrorism," Adoke further stated.

In her speech, Justice Adekeye called on government to address the conditions of service of both serving and retired justices of the apex court to stem the tide of justices who retire into penury on a meagre gratuity and one of three official cars without monetisation of his offical residence like his counterpart in the civil service.

She also made a case for female members of the legal profession and the need to increase the number of female lawyers among those conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Justice Adekeye is also a prolific writer with numerous published works in her kitty. Some of her published works include The Role of Women in Nationa Development, Marriage and Divorce Under the Customary Law, Sentencing Policy, among others.

Aside from her judicial contribution to the nation spanning some 40 years, Adekeye had also served in several other quasi judicial and administrative capacities worthy of mention. She was chairman, Adekeye Commission of Enquiry into Civil Disturbances in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state, in November 1998. Chairman, Governorship / Legislative Houses Election Petition Tribunal, Kaduna zone in 1998, Chairman and member, Governorship Election Petition Appeals in Ilorin, Calabar, Enugu and Port Harcourt Divisions.

The retiring jurist who holds a national honour of Commander Order of the Niger, CON, attended St. Andrews Primary School, Ondo between 1947 and 1954 before proceeding to St. Anne's School, Ibadan between 1955 and 1959. She bagged her law degree in 1966 at Leeds University Yorkshire and sat for her final paper of the United Kingdom Corporation of Secretaries at Sheffield College of Commerce, also in the United Kingdom.

Between 1967 and 1968, she returned to Nigeria for her Law School programme and was subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar in October 1968. Justice Adekeye’s judicial career started in 1974 when she was appointed a magistrate in the old western Nigeria. She served as Magistrate Grade II and I respectively between 1974 and 1984 before she was appointed Deputy Registrar in 1985 at the same Ondo state judiciary.

She was elevated to the bench at the High Court in 1987 and served at the High Court for more than a decade before she was again elevated to the Court of Appeal.