The National Assembly (NASS) joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives has rejected the proposed budget for the Nigerian judiciary.
The committee on Wednesday expressed outrage over the “grossly inadequate” allocation, citing its detrimental impact on the judiciary’s ability to function effectively.
It also gave the Minister of National Planning and DG Budget 24 hours to appear before it.
According to the committee, the budget compromised the independence and ability of the judiciary to effectively function.
The Judiciary has been allocated N5.3 billion for capital expenditure and N8.8 billion for recurrent expenditure in the 2024 budget.
This is according to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, who had appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary a few days ago to seek additional funding.
The minister urged the committee to support the Ministry, as it was fundamental in driving the current administration’s roadmap for the justice sector.
The Attorney General stressed that the ministry is involved in defending the country in international litigation and arbitration which are expensive to prosecute or defend in terms of payment of administrative fees to tribunals, professional fees to solicitors, and experts fees.
