On Monday, following the resignation of Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Olukayode Ariwoola was sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Ariwoola is expected to serve in an acting capacity until confirmation by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the national assembly.
At the swearing-in ceremony in the presidential villa, the acting CJN swore to be faithful and bear true allegiance to the federal government, as well as defend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
However, fresh questions have been raised over the credentials of Ariwoola, particularly on the date on which he began school.
BORN IN 1958 AND STARTED SCHOOL IN 1959
Ariwoola was born in Iseyin, Oyo State, on August 22, 1958. According to his credentials, he began his primary education less than a year later in 1959 at the Local Authority Demonstration School, Oluwole, in his hometown. He would spend eight years in school before graduating in 1967.
He then moved to Muslim Modern School in the same town from 1968 to 1969 before graduating to Ansar-Ud-Deen high school, Saki area of Oyo, for secondary education.
He earned his law degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1980, and a year later he was called to the Nigerian bar and got enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the supreme court.
Before Ariwoola was sworn into his new role, insiders within the Apex Court said that some northern justices were against his appointment on the grounds that the 63-year-old is allegedly battling health issues.
They alleged that the illness might affect Ariwoola’s performance as the leader of the Supreme Court just as it did the immediate past CJN.
