Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, says the persistent non-release of budgetary allocation and inadequate allocation of funds has impeded the effective delivery of justice sector reforms outlined ny the federal government.
Fagbemi, who made this known while presenting the Federal Ministry of Justice 23.7 billion naira 2026 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, explained that the Ministry’s mandate and engagements are anchored on achieving the goals and initiatives outlined in the National Policy on Justice 2024 and its Strategic Plan 2023–2027.
These objectives, according to the minister, aligns with the justice sector roadmap under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration but lamented insufficient budgetary allocations and delays in the release of appropriated funds, which he says, has significantly constrained the ministry’s capacity to execute critical projects and deliver essential services to Nigerians.
Fagbemi, who highlighted key milestones recorded by the ministry despite funding challenges, told lawmakers that reforms in criminal justice administration, counter-terrorism successes, progress towards exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, as well as strides in asset recovery and financial management shows the readiness of the ministry to reposition Nigeria’s justice system.
Providing a breakdown of the 2025 budget performance, the minister revealed that the Ministry received about 6.6 billion naira out of the 7.5 billion naira appropriated for overhead costs over a ten-month period, representing 82 per cent performance.
For capital expenditure, Fagbemi said the ministry was issued a warrant of 869 million naira out of a total capital allocation of 6.7 billion naira representing just 12 per cent performance, noting that the 12 per cent capital warrant was not cash-backed, effectively stalling project implementation.
Chairman of the House Committee on Justice, Olumide Osoba, assured that the committee would thoroughly scrutinise the ministry’s budget estimates and those of its agencies to ensure that justice sector reforms are not hampered by inadequate funding, promising to also exercise oversight over funds approved for the ministry to guarantee accountability and optimal utilisation.
(Editor: Ada Ononye)
