The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, advocates increased funding for the ministry to enhance performance in 2024.
On Monday in Abuja, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, addressed the Senate Committee on Judiciary, conducting a review of the 2023 budget performance of the ministry while defending the 2024 budget.
In 2023, the ministry received an allocation of N3.3 billion for capital expenditure and N4.6 billion for recurrent expenditure.
Fagbemi highlighted that, with less than 30 days remaining in the year, the ministry had only received releases of N617 million for capital expenditure and N2.734 billion for recurrent expenditure.
He emphasized that this had significantly impacted the ministry’s overall performance.
He expressed the ministry’s commitment to instigate a significant change in 2024, allocating N5.3 billion for capital expenditure and N8.8 billion for recurrent expenditure in the upcoming budget. Urging the committee’s support, he emphasized the critical role it played in advancing the current administration’s justice sector roadmap.
Fagbemi noted that legal and judicial reforms stood among the key priority areas outlined in the president’s eight-point agenda.
“To ensure the security and confidence of the judicial officers, coupled with the location of the trial, the Ministry is required to charter aircraft to airlift them.”
“The Ministry is also spending considerable resources on the provision or upgrading of infrastructural facilities at the various venues to make them fit for purpose,” he said.
He said the ministry had been promoting the policy of having state counsels and handling more cases on behalf of the government.
‘There are instances where the need to engage senior external solicitors becomes inevitable.”
“Thus, greater funding is required to increase the capacity and boost the morale of state counsels through regular payment of duty tour allowances and robe allowances, among others.”
“The professional fees of the private solicitors also need to be settled. The ministry is also involved in defending the country in international litigation and arbitration, which are by their nature very expensive to prosecute or defend in terms of payment of administrative fees to tribunals, professional fees to solicitors, and expert fees.”
“These cases usually arise after the closure of the budget preparation and passage process, which means the ministry is unable to make specific budgetary requests for funding the cases,” he said.
He noted the existence of a backlog of obligations requiring clearance to uphold the ministry’s endeavors in minimizing the government’s vulnerability to judgment debts. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that litigation does not impede the execution of government policies and projects.
“The Ministry is also currently defending over 2000 cases, with huge potential liabilities, on behalf of FGN and its MDAs.”
“These cases require diligent prosecution and effective defence to avoid embarrassment and enforcement actions,” he said.
Previously, Alhaji Mohammed Mongonu, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, stated that the objective of the meeting was to request the minister to provide an assessment of the 2023 budget. This aligns with the constitutional responsibility empowering the parliament to oversee Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
He highlighted that this process was intended to guarantee that Nigerians receive value for money and to uphold transparency and accountability in the utilization of funds allocated to the ministry.