The Federal Government has earmarked ₦341.6 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Bill for the payment of judges’ salaries and allowances, thereby sustaining the sharp rise in judicial funding occasioned by the salary review approved by the National Assembly in 2024.
This allocation is captured under statutory transfers to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the constitutional body charged with the administration of the federal judiciary.
Analysis of the budget indicates that the NJC vote is comprised almost entirely of personnel costs linked to judicial remuneration, with no distinct capital component reflected in that line item.
Historically, judiciary funding remained relatively flat until the recent surge. Between 2019 and 2021, statutory transfers to the NJC averaged ₦110 billion annually, rising modestly to ₦120 billion in 2022 and approximately ₦150 billion in 2023. A significant leap occurred in 2024 when the National Assembly increased the NJC’s allocation from an executive proposal of ₦165 billion to ₦341.63 billion, making it one of the largest statutory transfers to any federal agency. That elevated funding level has now been retained in the 2026 proposal.
The increase followed the passage of the Judicial Officers’ Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Act, 2023, which introduced a new salary structure effective January 2024. Under the revised regime, the Chief Justice of Nigeria earns approximately ₦5.39 million monthly, while other Justices of the Supreme Court and appellate courts receive comparable multi‑million‑naira salaries.
While the NJC allocation is largely personnel‑driven, the broader justice sector budget for 2026 contains capital provisions for court reforms and infrastructure under other ministries and sectoral votes. A sectoral breakdown shows that the law and justice sector has ₦11.64 billion earmarked for capital projects, while the Ministry of Works and related agencies also carry court‑linked items worth several billions.
The structural imbalance is further illustrated by a ₦520 million provision at the Federal Ministry of Justice for fuel purchases to power generators at its headquarters and offices—underscoring the persistence of electricity challenges even within the justice system’s apex bureaucracy.
This reflects the wider deterioration of court infrastructure nationwide, with magistrate and high courts in several states operating from dilapidated buildings lacking stable electricity, functional recording facilities, and basic amenities.
Senior lawyer and human rights advocate Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has repeatedly lamented the state of Nigerian courts, describing them as “dilapidated infrastructure” where judges are compelled to record proceedings in longhand. In a June 2025 interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, he stressed that the judiciary has been “ignored for too long” and that judges must be “treated respectfully and well funded” to insulate them from societal pressures.
Another Abuja‑based senior lawyer, speaking anonymously, observed that “there is little value in rewarding judges handsomely if the courts they preside over remain unsafe, lack electricity, or cannot accommodate litigants.” He argued that the current budgetary priorities reveal a skewed focus by the Federal Government, noting that improving court conditions should be of greater concern than remuneration alone.
