Abuja, December 4, 2023: The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, revealed that the Ministry received releases for capital expenditure in the 2023 budget as late as December 1, 2023, less than 30 days before the fiscal year’s end. Fagbemi expressed his concern over the impact of the delayed release on the 2023 budget performance while addressing the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters on Monday.
The Ministry, which allocated N3,321,283,533.00 for the capital budget and N4,688,847,054.00 for the recurrent budget in the outgoing 2023 budget cycle, faced constraints with only N617,456,896.00 released for capital expenditure and N2,734,110,775.62 for recurrent expenditure with less than a month left in the financial year.
Fagbemi stated that this delay significantly affected the ministry’s performance in its mandate areas, emphasizing the need for increased funding in the justice sector. For the 2024 budget proposal, the Ministry has been allocated N5,341,356,849.00 for capital expenditure and N8,860,880,311.10 for recurrent expenditure, reflecting the government’s determination for a paradigm shift.
The Minister underscored the critical importance of addressing underfunding in the justice sector, noting that substantial investments are required for legal and judicial reforms, human rights compliance, democratic governance, and the rule of law.
Highlighting the challenges faced by the ministry, Fagbemi mentioned the considerable funding required for the proscription and prosecution of terror suspects and entities, including logistics, welfare, and security provisions for judges, prosecutors, support staff, and witnesses. He also emphasized the need for increased funding to defend the country in international litigation and arbitration, citing the unpredictability of these cases arising after the budget preparation and passage process.
Fagbemi called for adequate funding lines or reserves to address these cases and pledged the Ministry’s commitment to achieving a positive shift in 2024 with the allocated budget.
