Senators were alarmed on Wednesday to hear that the Federal Ministry of Justice did not execute a single capital project in 2025, a development they said was “dangerous” to justice delivery in the country.
It came as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Justice, and Human Rights to defend the estimates of the ministry’s 2026 budget.
For instance, Fagbemi disclosed that though the ministry received a warrant of N869.630million, representing 12% of the total capital budget of N6.749billion in 2025, the warrant wasn’t cash-backed, translating to zero capital projects being executed.
“Most regrettably, even the 12% was not cash-backed; hence, the ministry received no funding for its 2025 capital projects.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that this situation is not peculiar to the ministry, but the critical nature of the ministry’s mandate demands that some concession or priority ought to be accorded to the ministry”, the AGF told the committee.
He stated that areas of needed support, following his interventions, included “expanded access to justice initiatives, ensuring more citizens benefited from legal aid and public awareness programs.”
In 2026, the government allocated N150bn to the ministry and its parastatals, excluding another N20bn set aside for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, observed that the new budget, an increase over last year’s, should ordinarily empower the ministry and the agencies to improve on their performances this year.
However, he admitted that the justice sector would remain stagnant if, at the end of the day, the budget wasn’t cash-backed.
Adegbonmire expressed hope that the situation would change this year, adding that it also placed the expectation on the ministry to spend wisely.
“We want to ensure that funds are deployed judiciously for the interest of the judiciary and justice”, he stated.
A member of the committee, Senator Osita Izunaso, described it as “very dangerous” to hear that a key ministry like justice did not execute a single project in a budget cycle.
“Delay is dangerous, especially where it affects the justice sector.
“Bureaucratic bottlenecks should not apply to the justice sector.
We must have a system that responds speedily.
“You can’t have a ministry of justice and nothing of the capital budget was released to them. How were they expected to function in a whole year?”, Senator Izunaso said.
For 2026, the ministry’s share of the total budget of N150bn is N23.680bn.
Fagbami broke it down into Personnel Cost N3.455bn; Overhead, N10.499bn; and Seven Capital, N9.724bn.
The minister listed the challenges drawing the justice sector back, highlighting the urgency of more attention.
He stated, “Infrastructural challenges limit the conducive nature of our workspace.
“Inadequate funding occasioned by budget shortfalls and delayed budgetary releases.
“Human rights concerns such as prison overcrowding and limited access to legal aid.
“The rise of emerging crimes, including cybercrime, terrorism, and transnational or cross-border crimes.
Financial resource constraints limit our ability to fulfill constitutional, legal, and international obligations.
“Human resource constraints that limit our ability to undertake the increasing workload in the ministry.”
The minister offered solutions. To address these challenges, we must combine budgetary support with legislative reforms.
Going forward, increased funding is indispensable for the Ministry to deliver on its future projections and programmes, including: Implementation of the National Policy on Justice: This policy provides a comprehensive framework for justice sector reforms, including access to justice, human rights protection, and institutional strengthening. Without adequate funding, its implementation will remain aspirational rather than transformative.
“Law Reforms: Many of our laws are outdated and no longer responsive to contemporary realities. Increased funding will support the review, drafting, and enactment of progressive legislation that aligns with global best practices and addresses emerging challenges.
“Capacity Building: Investment in training and technology will empower our prosecutors, legal officers, and support staff to meet the demands of modern justice delivery.
Public Legal Education: Adequate resources will allow us to expand awareness programs, ensuring citizens understand their rights and responsibilities under the law.”