Boss Of The Week

John Olajide: The Meteoric Rise of a Tech Solution Provider

Published

1 year ago

May 27, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

His technological vision is spread, covering software, engineering, healthcare among many others. He is a person, who has demystified the theory of silver spoon origin as the sure point of success. He has proved even from Ajegunle, stars are born. He is John Niyi Olajide, the brain behind world class enterprises leveled in technological acumen vis a vis Cavista Holdings, a renowned global software engineering solution firm and Axxess Global Partner, a leading global home healthcare technology company.

Endowed with a great can-do attitude, Olajide is an ardent believer in the efficacy of passion, which has seen him through the turbulent world of entrepreneurship, and coming out strong and conquering. He was quoted as saying “I’m very passionate about economic development; about leveraging business and economic investments to improve the lives of everyone and create opportunities for a lot of people.” He is without an iota of doubt a human-oriented businessman.

His Axxess has played and continued to play a major role in shaping the $100 billion home health industry in the USA and the $600 billion global industry, in addition to helping to process over $30 billion in claims for over 3 million patients served by over 9,000 organisations around the globe.

A native of Erinmope-Ekiti, in Ekiti State, Olajide was born and raised in Ajegunle, one of the slums in Lagos State, noted for criminality and other unwholesome activities, yet through a dint of hard work, determination, focus, had one of the meteoric rises to stardom in history.

He attended Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Abeokuta after his nursery and primary education before proceeding to the United States of America for his university education, where he had to work harder to pay his through school. Today, he is both a Nigerian and an American, creating firsts in technological know-hows. It would not be out of place to say that Olajide’s entrepreneurial acumen is both inherent and inherited considering that his father worked his way out of Ajegunle to Ogba where he was a distributor for Unilever.

Other than being a prolific Nigerian-American entrepreneur, Olajide is an investor and an incurable philanthropist, whose humanity speaks volumes. His leap of faith to establish Axxess, world’s leading global home healthcare technology company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, in 2007, Axxess has like the proverbial oak tree spread and established a presence in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and boast of more than 1,200 employees from over 45 countries. Even as he enjoys prominence in inventions and innovations in the US, Olajide remains a man, who knows his roots, noting at every point in time that Africa, and in particular Nigeria, always remained in thoughts. “We have a lot of work to do, but I live every day with the belief that anything is possible,” he once said.

Highly patriotic, he celebrates Nigeria and its teeming youthful population, “Nigeria is the hub for the best brains in the IT sector and software development. It’s my own way of contributing my own quota towards ensuring sustainable growth and opportunities for job creation in the economy. I am passionate about increasing access to quality healthcare for people everywhere in the world and with technology, we can make that possible.

“Nigeria is blessed with highly cerebral youth who are doing great things with limited resources when it comes to all aspects of software development, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and the rest. This spurred my interest in partnering with CAVISTA Nigeria.

“Today, CAVISTA is creating solutions to the challenging issues of health care delivery in Nigeria and employing great young minds to solve problems, rather than allowing them to leave Nigeria to use their skills to develop in another country,” he said.

He currently supports and partners with leaders in Africa across government, business, and technology. A rare feat, all in a bid to ensure the continent remains self-sustaining. John is also the Chairman of Cavista Holdings which fully owns Cavista Technology Limited, the global technology company with operations in Nigeria, the Philippines and India. With over 300 software engineers in his employment, he focuses on helping training and developing young talents to solve complex challenges in the Nigerian technology space, while creating job opportunities for development and growth. He has also partnered SheCode to get more female engineers in the process.

Also in his spread of influence, Olajide has set up a world class farm, know as Agbeyewa Farms, an agro-allied company operating in Nigeria, and situated on 50 acres of arable land in Ekiti, with the aim of providing thousands of jobs for the young ones. While most people know him as a tech mogul, his foray into agriculture through the multi-million-dollar Agbeyewa Farms is promoting food security and creating thousands of jobs. Olajide has the aim of restoring the idea of dignity and prosperity in farming. The farm is already making waves in the food cultivation and production industry.

A man of many positive parts, Olajide’s interests also include tourism development, and he holds the concession through his Glocient Hospitality Limited, to revamp Ekiti State’s flagship tourism destination, Ikogosi Warm Springs in Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti-State into a world-class golfing and vacation. He is equal to the task.

The “100% Nigerian and 100% American is an entrepreneur, investor, care at home innovator and global community builder, who moves easily in all social, political, economic and intellectual circles with the sole aim of building constructive relationships and advance the best ideas to make the world better. With his Axxess Holdings and Cavista Holdings, he is helping improve access to healthcare everywhere and creating tens of thousands of jobs in various industries.

Olajide is not new to awards and recognitions. In 2022, he was appointed Vice Chair of the Board of the Corporate Council on Africa Board, a business association which promotes trade and investment between the US and countries in Africa. His commitment to building a stronger community resulted in him being chosen by his peers to serve in 2020 as the youngest-ever chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce’ board of directors and executive committee, and he successfully led the Dallas business community through the COVID-19 pandemic and shepherded the DRC to create a permanent board-led council to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. He currently serves on multiple boards, including the board of the Presidential Precinct, the Executive Committee of the Dallas Regional Chamber, and the Board of the Dallas Citizens Council where he works with other leaders to provide guidance on the policy issues that will move the region forward.

Through Axxess’ corporate citizenship efforts, John has benefited numerous organizations, including the University of Texas at Dallas, Business Council for the Arts, Texas Women’s Foundation, Visiting Nurses Association of Texas and many more. In 2019, John was named Humanitarian of the Year by Grace for Impact, an international non-profit organization focused on providing access to high quality healthcare.

Olajide has been recognized as the Outstanding Healthcare Executive of the Year and a Leader in Diversity, and AXXESS is recognized nationally and internationally as a Best Place to Work.

In 2016, Olajide was recognized as the youngest-ever Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

He has endowed the largest scholarship fund for the Engineering School for Computer Science students. He is currently chairing the billion-dollar campaign fundraising campaign for the University. He is also co-chair of a capital campaign raising $750 million to provide future opportunities for students at the school. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Chancellor’s Council of the University of Texas System.

The proud graduate of the University of Dallas, Texas, also serves on several other boards, including the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. He is in the business of helping to attract businesses to the most prosperous region in the United States.

Through his holdings’ corporate citizenship and philanthropic initiatives, Olajide has benefited numerous organizations addressing healthcare, education, poverty and women’s issues, among others, and he is not stopping.

Olajide’s corporate social responsibility is topnotch. He believes strongly in community engagement and invests actively to ensure that the local communities benefit through educational, health, transportation, and other infrastructural schemes, examples of which are numerous.

RARE STORY OF HOW AXXESS STARTED

ThisDay, after an counter with Olajide told the his story of the emergence of Axxess as follows: “…while in college, nothing gave him the clue that he would be involved in the technology of healthcare. Regaling THISDAY of his foray into this field he said while he was in college, he had an aunt that worked for a local healthcare organisation.

One time in 2001, he went to visit her and noticed there were lots of people working at different workstations at different desks. This prompted him to ask questions about their paper works and computer network? When he revealed that there was a tech lacuna, the aunt took him to her boss who expressed interest after hearing the benefits of a computer network.

“This computer network was supposed to help them improve their business, track their revenues, streamline their operations, decrease cost of doing business and help them be more successful as a business and healthcare business. Over all, it would help improve their patients outcomes.

“Immediately, he set out to build a computer network for that organisation.

“Getting the job done, he started getting referrals and with that, he paid his way through school. But beyond that, the opportunity opened his eyes to the tech lacuna in the healthcare industry and he went on to fill it. Backed by his business acumen nurtured way back in Nigeria, his entrepreneurial spirit sprung up and he helped his aunt set up a business.

“First he researched what the licencing and regulatory standards for that type of business in the US was, in the state of Texas in particular. He proceeded to get her licence and everything else she needed. He was just 20 then and the business still exists and thrives.

“With the success recorded, he began to get referrals, “but I realised that here’s an industry that’s underserved from a technology perspective. Overall, they need to help and I saw the ability to create technology”. And so he did.

“Giving a break down of what the job entails he said it made the healthcare industry benefit from cloud-based technology or web-based software in the clouds to help them be more efficient.

“Noting that the old order of documentation was not effective he thought to create technology that provides excellent health care and gets information in real time. With this, it decreased cost of business and boosted efficiency.”

Olajide has done well, not just for himself, and his beloved Ekiti, but for humanity in general.

Let’s raise a toast to Nigeria’s own export in human capacity development, technology transfer and a czar in tech problem solving.

Congratulations sir, you are our boss of the week!

Boss Of The Week

The Consummate Entrepreneur, Kola Adesina

Published

17 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

His trajectory to the top is an enviable story of perseverance, focus, commitment and attention to details. He is a clear symbol of opportunity created, opportunity taken and opportunity adequately utilised. His name is Chief Kola Adesina, the Group Managing Director, Sahara Power Group, a leading international energy (power, oil and gas) and infrastructure conglomerate.Born on August 12, 1964, Kola Adesina, embodies the advantages of what education can do, taking his strides in academic excellence from day one. Even till the present, he is still pursuing the greater good of education, directly and indirectly.

An entrepreneur of international repute, the managing director of Sahara Group, former Chairman of Egbin Power Plc, and board chairman of Ikeja Electric, is a toast among the teeming number of Nigerian philanthropists. He basically stands out.

Adesina earned both his B.Sc degree in Insurance and M.Sc degree in Business from the prestigious University of Lagos. He furthered his education by obtaining executive programmes at Harvard Business School and The Wharton School of Advanced Management Programme.

Adesina’s steides into the world of the As began immediately after his undergraduate days as he joined Insurance industry to Kickstart a career that was to blossom to classical height. He later joined Sahara Group where he moved up the ladder due to his selling skills.

At Sahara Group, he led various projects which included the nationwide strategic management of the supply chain of Fuel to the Emergency Power Plant of the defunct National Electricity Power Authority (now Power Holding Company Nigeria Limited), the Majestic Oil delegation on the acquisition of the Sierra Leone Refinery and also managed the Crude Oil contract of the Group in Côte d’Ivoire where he also served as the Director of Infrastructure, responsible for the acquisition of strategic assets in Africa.He served as a member of the Presidential Committee inaugurated by President Jonathan on the Accelerated Expansion of the Electricity Infrastructure in Nigeria, which culminated in the unbundling of PHCN successor companies. He also chairs the board of Ikeja Electric.In 2022, he was crowned as Vanguard Private Sector Icon of the Year.

According to a narrative volunteered by his organisation, the billionaire industrialist is a consummate entrepreneur with experience that traverses the academia, finance, energy, trade and diplomacy. He’s a Director at Sahara Group, a leading international energy (power, oil and gas) and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in over 38 countries across Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Kola currently leads the vision of Sahara Power Group aimed at bringing energy to life by deploying diversified power sources to light up lives, businesses and sustainable interventions in Nigeria and across Africa. Kola specifically oversees the Group’s affiliates including Ikeja Electric, the largest privately owned power distribution business in South Saharan Africa (SSA), Egbin Power Plc – the largest thermal plant in SSA (with 1,320MW installed capacity with ongoing expansion plans to increase the capacity over two-fold, providing a quarter of the total generating capacity in Nigeria) and First Independent Power Limited.

Kola combines his years of management and business diplomacy experience into creating and executing innovative strategies for governments across sub Saharan Africa in the energy sector. Kola is a much sought after resource person on energy related issues, especially the power sector in Africa and is also a frontline speaker at conferences across the globe.

He is passionate about empowering young people and takes great pride in mentoring youths to seek creative ways of galvanizing their energies for sustained excellence and productivity. Mr. Adesina is a pan-Africanist, a seasoned entrepreneur and avowed promoter of the Pan African Dream of regional integration and trade.

Am accomplished family man, Kola Adesina holds a B.SC (Insurance), M.SC. (Business), Masters in International Law and Diplomacy and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance.

Boss Of The Week

The Impressive World of Indefatigable Investor, Adetola Nola

Published

2 weeks ago

August 24, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Here’s the story of a man, who read his way out of poverty. A man, who is known by a dictum not common to ordinary mortals; the dictum of perfection. It is nobwonder that he is credited with the say, “I am a perfectionist, and I take nothing short of excellence”.

His name is Adetola Nola. He is athe Chief Executive Officer at Veritasi Homes and Properties, A.R.N Farms and Commodities Limited, which he founded and signed off to build one of the largest rice milling plants in West Africa; Asteric Asset Management, and Baraka Energy Lithium Processing Limited. Nola’s image looms large, and he is just 34.

Nola is a typical example of the ‘real’ Nigerian youths, who are steadily proving that the not too young to run mantra is not just about politics, but spreads across every facet of human endeavour, chiefly among which is entrepreneurship.

It is therefore, not a surprise that before the age of 30, the star brained thinker, determined achiever and never-say-never entrepreneur, who has conquered the world of real estate, agriculture, mining and asset management giant, is already ruling their worlds, giving back to humanity and creating leverages that are already making the world a much more better place as well as pave the way for upcoming youths to bring their dreams to reality.

Nola is a standard measure for administrative competence, and the fact anyone can achieve greatness if they set their minds to it.

Born 1990, Adetola Nola, is unarguably an excellence-driven and innovative real estate entrepreneur with positive energy and experience instrumental in redefining success in the Nigerian real estate industry. He does not only boast of these energies, but steadfastly put them to work and has reinvented a whole new strata of home management, estate development and all round provision of affordable housing for every class of humanity, Nigerians more especially.

A well-read intellectual, Nola is a Bachelor of Engineering degree holder in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has not left anything to chance as regards improvement educationally as he has just concluded an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) degree at the Metropolitan School of Business & Management, London.

His strong leaning on education and in continuous learning have created in him a need not to rest on his oars, prompting him to attend many capacity development courses, including Strategic Management & Leadership courses at the London Metropolitan University, Finance and Management Courses at the London School of Business & Finance; and numerous seminars locally and internationally. Little wonder he tells anyone he cares to listen that “I read my way out of poverty”.

Ever since he ventured into entrepreneurship, Adetola Nola has not looked back; he has not allowed himself to be weighed down by the vicissitudes surrounding business establishment and grooming, and has consequently, raked in extraordinary achievements under the age of 30, prompting the magnanimous Forbes to recognise him among the Forbes Africa Under 30 Class of 2019, when he was 29.

Reacting to his selection, Nola noted that “It is an honour to be part of this list that features so many great people. Forbes has done a great job compiling and ensuring the credibility of this list since inception, and it is a leading resource for entrepreneurs, like myself.”

The CEO is an epitome of impressive leadership, corporate management skills, and rich top management experience. His expertise, knowledge and experience span sales, marketing, real estate investment, property finance, real estate advisory, management, leadership development among a long list of business and entrepreneur oriented endeavours.

From a mere start up, Nola kick-started his real estate career. He began as a real estate sales consultant with Grenadine Homes, where he recorded a plethora of successes in closing property deals. Every pie he puts his hands is on becomes a done deal. His ingenuity won him a trip to Dubai while at Grenadine. He reported that once he sold shoes so well to a client that the client felt he could sell real estate, and there arose his interest in real estate.

In 2017, after facilitating projects for other real estate companies, he founded his own company, Veritasi with just one staff – his secretary. But his style of leadership, rooted in eye for details and profits, the company recorded over N2 billion in revenue in less than two years of operation. In his modesty, he attributed the feat to the company’s vision of solving the housing problems of middle-income earners in Nigeria.

From the proverbial mustard seed, the company has grown to boast of over 12,000 real estate consultants, 1300 Veritasi Realtors and 18 full-time staff, today. This is a magnificent leap by all standard.

Nola has remained undaunted in his pursuit of the golden fleece or the green pastures even as he encountered untold entrepreneurial hassles. It has been reported that the man, who today has a Midas touch, has failed severally in business, but his sight on the ultimate goal, kept him going. And today he is a success story. A point of reference, and a veritable instrument with a passion to see and help other businesses grow.

“All the other businesses were learning grounds for us. They failed, but they taught me a lot of things. Because when I started Veritasi, I understood business dynamics and a lot of other things. I am trying to resurrect one or two,” he said.

The entrepreneur’s experience in growing businesses from the scratch to fruition is predicated upon his ability to have either founded or co-founded five other companies, including Noah and Nola Incorporated, Pineapples Luxury Retail Store and Couture 89 amongst others. He is also the current Founder/Chief Strategist Officer of Nola Travels. It is worthy of note that Nola founded this particular business with the sole aim of helping unemployed graduates. That explains how kindhearted he is, and can always be!

Walking in the footsteps of great African entrepreneurs like Tony Elumelu, Nola has a wholesome ambition of raising at least 200 successful African entrepreneurs who will, in turn, create employment and the circle continues. He has, as a matter of fact, been training batches of at least forty realtors and entrepreneurs on business and financial intelligence in his office every Thursday since November 2018. He also helps friends and family members to analyse their businesses, just as he assists the same friends and family members to see to the fruition of their businesses.

In all, Nola has analysed over 40 businesses, and still counting, for close friends and family members in the same way he has helped in restructuring about 20 of these businesses free of charge.

His corporate social responsibility has grown in leaps and bounds, affecting lives and giving hope to as many that he has come in contact with. He is presently championing the emergence of smarter communities with green energy in Nigeria while developing and providing properties that are timely in delivery, cost-effective, energy efficient, and durable. He is also a strategic investor with investments in the automobile industry, fashion and agriculture. His catalogue of palliatives for the good of his people has remained green even as he is still a very young man.

Nola is a thoroughbred inspirational speaker as well as a resource person in many affairs of life. While impacting his community, he has acted as a resource person at many learning and discourse sessions. He has also spoken in many local and international conferences including University of Mazda, Abu Dhabi and Property Investment & Homebuyers Show, London and others.

In his quest to further affect humanity, he has partnered with a number of NGOs with the aim of eradicating poverty and establishing a positive legacy. His belief in entrepreneurship has given him leverage to solve the challenge of unemployment and poverty in Africa. He has therefore, created platforms where people can work and learn to build companies of their own.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Nola is not new to awards considering his humongous achievements. He has to his credit multiple local and international awards among which are Most Enterprising Student from Obafemi Awolowo University; Most Innovative Staff from Grenadine Homes; Best Intern in Operations from NNPC; Young Real Estate CEO Speaker from Property Investment Show, London and Fastest Growing Entreprenuer from Grapevine Real Estate.

Nola is a force to reckon with, and had started from the earliest of stages to create the accolades that follows him today, even at his youthful age.

THE PRESTIGIOUS CAMBERWALL ESTATE, LEKKI

Recently, Nola’s company unveiled an ambitious site and services scheme in Lekki, called Camberwall Estate. This magnanimous project is coming just after the Star City Garden in Ibeju-Lekki was first released. The estate consists of service plots.

A must buy and home to every lover of affordable luxury, Camberwall, a homely estate, which is located along Eleko Beach and opposite Amen Estate in Ibeju-Lekki Council, is a few minutes drive to Lagos Business School, and proposed airport. There is no doubt that it is an investor’s delight.

Speaking about the estate, Nola said it is a residential haven designed to provide affordable experience in a conducive and serene environment. He added that the estate is designed to accommodate modern state of the art facilities like interlocked road, clinic and security beautiful landscape, drainages, street lights, and estate club houses.

That is not all, it comprises a central designed architectural piece of accommodation, which provides residents with an ideal believe of tranquility and modern convenience. As part of his innovations, he is replicating noiseless and smart homes in Nigeria.

Nola does not only have a Midas touch in business, he is a stickler to excellence, decorum and the best of services. Little wonder he rolled out the drums to celebrate staff and clients as the year 2021 wound down in a most elaborate end of year party. He is by all means the class of technocrats capable of turning the economic fortunes of the nation, Nigeria around, and needs to be giving a chance.

A typical Epicurus son, Nola is a lover of good things including splendid food, neatly and smartly tailored apparels and worthy vacations to ease the stress and rejuvenate the mind.

Welcome to the impressive world of the indefatigable investor, Adetola Nola!

Boss Of The Week

Meet Nigeria’s Next CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun

Published

3 weeks ago

August 18, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

During the week, the National Judicial Council (NJC), in line with popular anticipation, recommended Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

On confirmation, Kekere-Ekun will become the second female to become Nigeria’s head of the judiciary, after Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, whose tenure ran from July 2012 to November 2014. She will replace Justice Kayode Ariwoola, who will formally bow out on August 22.

The NJC also recommended 27 candidates for appointment as judges of state courts and one as Kadi of the Sharia Court of the FCT, Abuja.

A statement by the spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye, said the recommendation was made at the Council’s 106th Meeting presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, held on August 14 and 15.

The statement read: “The NJC also “recommend twenty-seven (27) candidates for appointment as Judges of States Courts and a candidate for appointment as Kadi of the Sharia Court of the FCT, Abuja to their various State Governors and Mr President.

“NJC recommends Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, CFR as the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Twenty-eight (28) others as Judges of various Courts.

“The National Judicial Council at its 106th Meeting presided over by the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, held on August 14 and 15, 2024, recommended Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, to President Bola Tinubu, for appointment as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“This is imperative as Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will formally bow out of office as the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria next week Thursday on August 22, 2024.

“Council also recommend twenty-seven (27) candidates for appointment as Judges of States Courts and a candidate for appointment as Kadi of the Sharia Court of the FCT, Abuja to their various State Governors and Mr. President as follows:

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)

Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, CFR

Six Judges, High Court of Kwara State

Olawoyin, Ibijoke Olabisi, Abdulrazaq, Fatimah Funsho, Folorunsho, Oba Muritala, Dikko, Yusuf Adebayo, Adeniyi, Oluwatosin Adenike and Osuolale-Ajayi, Temitope Olalekan

One Judge, High Court of Kaduna State

Zubairu, Murtala Ja’afaru

Four Judges, High Court of Benue State

Kor, Vincent Tersoo, Ikwulono, Maigida Maimuna, Adagba, Nguhemen Julie and Tor, Damian Tersugh

Two Judges, Customary Court of Appeal, Benue State

Onche, Ogah Inalegwu and Igba, Theophilus Terhile

Eight Judges, High Court of Rivers State

Onyiri, Frank, Ugoji, Victor Chinedum, Obomanu, Godswill Vidal, Oguguo, Rita Chituru, Fubara, Alatuwo Elkanah, Kokpan, Bariyima Sylvester, Obu, Ibietela Innocent Madighi and Wifa-Adedipe, Lesi

Six Judges, High Court of Ondo State

Daomi, Williams Adebisi, Fabuluje, Adewumi William, Ogunwumiju, Mobayonle Idowu, Demehin-Ogunbayo, Inumidun Happiness, Kpemi, Ojufisintei Justinah and Adegoroye, Olufunke Adeola

One Kadi, Shariah Court of Appeal, FCT, Abuja.

Muhammad, Lawal Munir

“All recommended candidates are expected to be sworn-in after the approval of the NJC recommendations to the President and their respective State governors.”

Justice Kekere-Ekun joined the Lagos State Judiciary as Senior Magistrate II and rose to the position of the State High Court Judge. She served as Chairman of Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, between November 1996 to May 1999. She was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian courts of appeal in 2004 before her appointment as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in July 2013.

Kekere Ekun was born on May 7, 1958 in London, United Kingdom. In 1980, she received a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos and was admitted to the Nigeria Bar on 10 July 1981, having graduated from the Nigerian Law School before she proceeded to the London School of Economics where she received a master’s degree in Law in November 1983.

In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) was conferred on her by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kudirat joined the Lagos State Judiciary as Senior Magistrate II and rose to the position of the State High Court Judge. She served as Chairman of Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja between November 1996 to May 1999. She was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian courts of appeal in 2004 before her appointment as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in July 2013.

In 2020, Kekere-Ekun was on the seven-member panel that sacked Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha and declared that the winning candidate was Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who originally came fourth in the election results. Ihedioha described the verdict as “unfair, unjust and does not reflect the voting that took place during the elections”.

Kekere-Ekun is expected to bring a new lease of life to the judiciary towards restoring its dignity and respect. Her tenure Kickstart on August 22 when Justice Ariwoola will bow out of office.