Nigerian Judiciary is headed by

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who is the head of the Nigerian Judiciary, the arm of government that interprets laws and settles disputes.

Step 2: Explain the concept Nigeria operates the separation of powers among three arms of government:

• Legislature makes laws (National Assembly, headed by the Senate President)
• Executive implements laws (headed by the President)
• Judiciary interprets laws and administers justice (headed by the Chief Justice)

The judiciary is made up of the courts, from the Supreme Court at the top down to the Magistrate and customary courts.

Step 3: Evaluate each option

• A. Attorney-General and Minister of Justice: He is the chief law officer of the Federation and a member of the Executive. He advises the government and prosecutes on its behalf, but he does not head the courts.
• B. Solicitor-General of the Federation: He is a civil servant in the Federal Ministry of Justice, a legal officer under the Attorney-General, and not part of the judiciary's leadership.
• C. Chief Justice of the Federation: He presides over the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, and is the head of the judiciary. (Since the 1999 Constitution, the title is formally "Chief Justice of Nigeria", but JAMB used the older wording "Chief Justice of the Federation".)
• D. President, Court of Appeal: He heads the Court of Appeal, which is below the Supreme Court, so he heads only that court and not the whole judiciary.

Step 4: Answer The head of the Nigerian Judiciary is the Chief Justice of the Federation, which is option C.

Exam tip: Match each arm of government with its head:

• Legislature → Senate President
• Executive → President
• Judiciary → Chief Justice

Also remember that the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General are law officers in the Executive, so they are common distractors in JAMB questions.