By Abdulmumin Murtala Kano
For the first time since the creation of Kano state in May 1967, a female has been appointed as the Chief Judge of the state. The appointment of Hon. Justice Dije Abdu Aboki, against all odds, had broken the jinx of gender marginalization in a socio-religious and traditionally sensitive society to proffer this record on her.
A disciplinarian by right, the honorable justice was sworn-in as the first female Chief Judge of Kano state on Monday, 7th of August, 2023, by the Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Prior to this giant stride, she had occupied the position of Acting Chief Judge in March, 2023.
Born on the 10th of July 1964 in Kano, she attended Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano from 1969 to 1973, from where she proceeded to Government Girls College, Minna, in Niger State from 1973 to 1978 where she obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC).
Five years after, she graduated from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1983 where she bagged her degree in Law (LLB. Hons).
She did her National Youth Service (NYSC) at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) from 1984 to 1985 and was finally called to bar in 1984.
After the service year she joined the state civil service as State Counsel from where she began her career in 1985 under the State Ministry of Justice.
With her kind of exposure, education and ethical values in service, she was soon to rise to the level of becoming a Magistrate a year later, from where she rose to become a High Court Judge in 2006.
During her career in the judiciary, Hon Justice Dije became a member of several professional organizations. She is a member of Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Bar Association, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), where she rose to become the Chairperson of the Kano Chapter among others.
These achievements never hindered her from other social aspects of life especially marriage and family as she is also a mother. She is married to Justice Abdu Aboki, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria with whom they have five children.
Following along the family tradition, three of her children are also Lawyers.
Being a first female Chief Judge in Kano state, she braced up to fulfill even beyond what is expected of her with myriads of achievements as the leader in the sector.
She set up a Performance and Evaluation Committee that assess Magistrates performances quarterly which is headed by a High Court Judge; Training Committee, also headed by a High Court Judge; Judicial Public Complain and Anti-corruption Committee, headed by a High Court Judge and the Khadi of Shari’a Court of Appeal.
She is known within and outside the judiciary as a “no nonsense lady” and is highly respected as such. As a result, with her on top the sector is bracing up to meet to her expectations and standards.
She pays regular Court visitations to see the condition of not just the infrastructure of the courts, but also the welfare and service delivery of the staff in all the Magistrate Courts of the State.
Today with Hon Justice Dije at the helm of affairs, the negative issues of indiscipline, corruption, abuse of office and lateness to work have become a thing of the past.
It is worth mentioning that in one of her circulars, she warned Magistrates to refrain from taking cases that are not assigned to them from the directing authorities, describing it as flagrant abuse of office that attracts serious disciplinary action.
It is her belief that justice can be served to the people when the Magistracy is upright. She sees the Magistracy as closer to the people in the grassroots and instructs them to exhibit high sense of commitment, discipline, professionalism and perseverance to the rule of law. Indeed, the judiciary in Kano has taken a gigantic stride in terms of delivery with Hon Justice Dije Abdu Aboki as the Chief Judge of Kano state.
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