By Christiana Ekpa
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has raised the alarm over persistent delays and inadequate release of funds, warning that the situation is undermining the Federal Government’s justice sector reform agenda.
Fagbemi made the disclosure on Wednesday while defending the 2026 budget proposal of the Federal Ministry of Justice before the House of Representatives Committee on Justice in Abuja.
He explained that the Ministry’s operations are guided by the National Policy on Justice 2024 and its Strategic Plan (2023–2027), which align with the justice reform roadmap under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, he lamented that poor budgetary releases — particularly for capital projects have significantly limited the Ministry’s ability to implement critical reforms and deliver essential legal services to Nigerians.
Despite the funding challenges, the Minister highlighted key achievements recorded by the Ministry, including reforms in criminal justice administration, strengthened counter-terrorism efforts, progress toward exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, as well as notable recoveries of assets and improvements in financial management systems.
Giving a breakdown of the 2025 budget performance, Fagbemi disclosed that out of N7.49 billion appropriated for overhead costs, the Ministry received N6.67 billion over a ten-month period, representing 82 per cent performance.
In contrast, capital funding suffered a major setback. He revealed that only N869.6 million was warranted out of a total capital allocation of N6.74 billion, a mere 12 per cent performance. Worse still, he noted that the 12 per cent capital warrant was not cash-backed, effectively stalling project execution.
The Minister further disclosed that no funds were released for the Ministry’s 2025 capital projects, stressing that the funding shortfall is not peculiar to the Ministry of Justice alone but affects other government institutions.
For the 2026 fiscal year, Fagbemi said the Ministry has proposed a total budget of N23.68 billion, covering personnel costs, overheads, and capital expenditure, aimed at strengthening justice delivery and sustaining ongoing reforms.
Responding, Chairman of the House Committee on Justice, Hon. Olumide Osoba, assured that the Committee would rigorously scrutinise the Ministry’s budget proposal and those of its agencies to ensure that justice sector reforms are not hampered by inadequate funding.
