The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has criticised the centralised payment system for federal capital projects, urging a return to the model under which ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) received and managed their allocations directly.
Fagbemi spoke yesterday during the Ministry’s 2026 budget defence before the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
He said the former system ensured timely fund releases and reduced bureaucracy.
“The old system is better because you don’t need to know anybody before your allocation is released,” he said.
He described the current framework, coordinated by the Ministry of Finance, as cumbersome and prone to delays that have hampered project execution.
“The current system is plagued with so many difficulties. I don’t want to say complexities,” he added.
Fagbemi disclosed that the ministry recorded zero performance in its 2025 capital budget. Although N869 million was released, he said the funds were not cash-backed.
He attributed the widespread non-execution of capital projects by MDAs to funding delays, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the rollover of 70 per cent of unimplemented 2025 capital projects into the 2026 budget. The remaining 30 per cent, he said, was affected by delayed releases and procedural constraints.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN), also expressed concern over the delays, saying many lawmakers believed the previous system was more effective.
“The delay is dangerous, especially when it affects the justice sector, which is at the heart of our social coalition. When the justice sector is hamstrung through bureaucratic bottlenecks, the system is put under pressure,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to adopt a funding mechanism that responds promptly to the operational needs of the justice sector.
