Aloma Mariam Mukhtar
{{short description|Chief Justice of Nigeria from 2012 to 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Aloma Mariam Mukhtar
| honorific-suffix = GCON
| image = Hon. Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar (GCON) First Female Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.jpg
| office1 = Chief Justice of Nigeria
| term_start1 = 16 July 2012
| term_end1 = 20 November 2014
| predecessor1 = Dahiru Musdapher
| successor1 = Mahmud Mohammed
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|11|20|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party =
}}
Aloma Mariam Mukhtar {{Post-nominals|country=NGA|GCON}} (born 20 November 1944) is a Nigerian jurist and former Chief Justice of Nigeria from July 2012 to November 2014.{{cite news |url=http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/07/16/aloma-mukhtar-making-of-nigerias-female-cgn/ |title=ALOMA MUKHTAR: Making of Nigeria’s Female CJN |newspaper=P.M. News |publisher=Independent Communications Network Limited |date=July 16, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702215018/http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/07/16/aloma-mukhtar-making-of-nigerias-female-cgn/ |archive-date=2014-07-02 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/54073-jonathan-swears-in-first-female-cjn.html |title=First female CJN sworn in, decorated GCON |newspaper=The Nation (Nigeria) |publisher=Vintage Press Limited |date=July 16, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718022847/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/54073-jonathan-swears-in-first-female-cjn.html |archive-date=2012-07-18 |url-status=dead }} She was called to the English Bar in November, 1966 and to the Nigerian Bar in 1967.{{cite news |url=http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news-update/52790-justice-mariam-aloma-muktar-a-profile.html |title=Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar: A profile |newspaper=The Nation (Nigeria) |publisher=Vintage Press Limited |date=July 5, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708083353/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news-update/52790-justice-mariam-aloma-muktar-a-profile.html |archive-date=2012-07-08 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/284-breaking-news/41006--mukthar-gets-senate-nod-as-cjn |title=Mukthar gets senate nod as CJN |newspaper=Business Day (Nigeria) |publisher=Frank Aigbogun |date=July 11, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221005/http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/284-breaking-news/41006--mukthar-gets-senate-nod-as-cjn |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }}
File:Female Chief Justice in Nigeria.webm
On 16 July 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan swore her in as the 13th indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria, and conferred on her the Nigerian National Honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Background
Mukhtar is from Adamawa state.{{cite news|last1=Lawal|first1=Dare|title=What a woman! 10 things you did not know about Nigeria's immediate past chief justice, Aloma Mukhtar - The ScoopNG|url=http://www.thescoopng.com/2014/11/28/woman-10-things-know-nigerias-immediate-past-chief-justice-aloma-mukhtar/|access-date=8 December 2016|publisher=The Scoop|archive-date=1 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701150638/https://thescoopng.com/2014/11/28/woman-10-things-know-nigerias-immediate-past-chief-justice-aloma-mukhtar/|url-status=dead}} She attended Saint George’s Primary School, Zaria, St. Bartholomew’s School, Wusasa, Zaria, Rossholme School for Girls, East Brent, Somerset, England, Reading Technical College, Reading, Berkshire, England, and Gibson and Weldon College of Law, England, before being called to the English Bar in absentia in November, 1966.
Career
Mukhtar began her career in 1967 as Pupil State Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Northern Nigeria and rose through the ranks:
- Office of the Legal Draftsman, Interim Common Services Agency, Magistrate Grade I, North Eastern State Government, 1971
- Chief Registrar, Kano State Government Judiciary, 1973
- Judge of the High Court of Kano State, 1977–1987
- Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Ibadan division, 1987–1993
- Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, 2005–2012
- Justice of the Supreme Court of The Gambia, 2011–2012
- Chief Justice of Nigeria, 2012–2014
In her career, Mukhtar has been many firsts: she is the first female lawyer from Northern Nigeria, first female judge of the High Court in Kano State judiciary, the first female justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, the first female justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (certain sources have erroneously given Roseline Ukeje this honor{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILDhCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77|title=Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: From Obscurity to Parity?|last=Bauer|first=Gretchen|last2=Dawuni|first2=Josephine|date=2015-10-30|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317516491}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0I5gsKiDasC&pg=PA206|title=Nigerian Women of Distinction, Honour and Exemplary Presidential Qualities: Equal Opportunities for All Genders (White, Black Or Coloured People)|last=Aka|first=Jubril Olabode|date=February 2012|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=9781466915541}}) and the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Awards
During the course of her career she received several awards including the Nigerian national honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger in 2006. Prior to that in 1993 she received a Gold Merit Award for her contribution in the development of law in Kano state and was also inducted into the Nigerian Hall of Fame in 2005.{{cite web|title=Details - Supreme Court of Nigeria|url=http://supremecourt.gov.ng/Profile/details/188|website=supremecourt.gov.ng|publisher=Supreme court|access-date=8 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220114445/http://supremecourt.gov.ng/Profile/details/188|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}
On 16 July 2012, President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan conferred on her the National Honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger.{{cite news|url=https://nigeriareposit.nln.gov.ng/items/511f3c92-03e7-423d-83c2-be53f247e752|title=A portrait of Hon. Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar (GCON) first female justice of the supreme court of Nigeria. First female chief justice of Nigeria|publisher=Nigeria Reposit|access-date=2 September 2024}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Chief Justices of Nigeria}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukhtar, Aloma Mariam}}
Category:Supreme Court of Nigeria justices
Category:Chief justices of Nigeria
Category:Nigerian women jurists
Category:People from Adamawa State
Category:First women chief justices