By Milcah Tanimu

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, have called for enhanced funding for the Ministry of Justice to bolster performance in 2024. Fagbemi made this appeal on Monday during a review of the 2023 budget performance and the defense of the 2024 budget before the Senate Committee on Judiciary in Abuja.

In the 2023 budget, the ministry was allocated N3.3 billion for capital expenditure and N4.6 billion for recurrent expenditure. However, Fagbemi highlighted that, with less than 30 days left in the year, the ministry had received only N617 million for capital expenditure and N2.734 billion for recurrent expenditure, significantly impacting its performance.

For 2024, the ministry has proposed an allocation of N5.3 billion for capital expenditure and N8.8 billion for recurrent expenditure, emphasizing the need for increased financial support. Fagbemi urged the committee to endorse the budget, emphasizing its critical role in advancing the administration’s justice sector roadmap, particularly in legal and judicial reforms.

Fagbemi outlined the various areas requiring funding, including chartering aircraft to ensure the security and confidence of judicial officers, infrastructural improvements at trial venues, and promoting the capacity and morale of state counsels. He highlighted the ministry’s involvement in defending the country in international litigation and arbitration, acknowledging the high costs associated with these cases.

The Minister also pointed out a backlog of obligations that needed clearing to sustain the ministry’s efforts in reducing the government’s exposure to judgment debts and ensuring the smooth implementation of government policies. Currently, the ministry is defending over 2000 cases on behalf of the Federal Government and its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

In response, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Alhaji Mohammed Mongonu, stated that the meeting aimed to have the minister present a review of the 2023 budget. This oversight function is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for money in the utilization of funds appropriated to the Ministry of Justice.