The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has blamed inadequate funding and delayed release of budgetary allocations for the slow pace of judicial reforms and justice delivery in Nigeria.
Fagbemi made the remarks on Wednesday while presenting the ministry’s 2026 budget proposal to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice at the National Assembly, Abuja.
He explained that the ministry’s mandate is anchored on the National Policy on Justice 2024 and its Strategic Plan 2023–2027, but persistent financial constraints have undermined implementation.
“Inadequate budgetary allocation to the ministry, coupled with delayed release of funds, is adversely affecting the ability of the ministry to deliver on critical projects and services,” Fagbemi said.
Budget Performance
- In 2025, the ministry received ₦6.68bn out of ₦7.50bn appropriated for overheads, representing 82% performance.
- For capital expenditure, only ₦869.63m out of ₦6.75bn was issued as a warrant, representing 12% performance.
- The capital warrant was not cash-backed, leaving projects stalled.
- Over ₦1bn was deducted from the ministry’s overhead budget, further limiting its ability to meet obligations to staff and service providers.
Fagbemi noted that despite constraints, the ministry recorded progress in criminal justice reforms, counter-terrorism, asset recovery, and steps toward exiting the Financial Action Task Force grey list.
He also highlighted manpower shortages and difficulties in paying allowances for officers handling cases outside Abuja as additional challenges.
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