The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Justice, has spent a staggering N1.1 billion in professional fees to top Nigerian lawyers over a span of three years, according to data from GovSpend, a platform that monitors government expenditures.
Among the recipients of these payments are renowned legal practitioners Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and 23 other law firms.
These funds have been allocated for various legal services, including advisory roles, document preparation, court representation, risk management, advocacy, regulatory compliance, and transactional tasks such as identifying potential risks in business and real estate dealings.
Despite the existence of the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Order, 2023, which sets a scale of charges for legal services, the substantial spending has raised concerns regarding the transparency and accountability of government expenditure on legal services.
A detailed report by The Punch further reveals that in July 2024 alone, Babalola, Olanipekun, and Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, received a combined total of N482.7 million.
On July 23, Babalola was paid N372.9 million for his representation in a court case (FHC/ABJ/SC/8962/2023), while Olanipekun and Izinyon received N103.6 million and N6.2 million, respectively, for other legal services. These payments were made on July 26 and July 29.
The data also highlights significant payments made in previous years. In 2022, 17 lawyers received a total of N359.7 million, while four lawyers were paid N319.3 million in 2021.
Notable payments in 2022 include N70.9 million to LDS Legal, N31.4 million to Sulaiman Salihu & Co (in two tranches), and N29 million to Savannah Law Chambers.
In 2021, Mr. Chikwendu Madumere received N174 million, LDS Legal was paid N21.8 million, Olowolafe & Co received N21.8 million, and Sulaiman Salihu & Co was disbursed N100.5 million in two tranches.
Tax compliance among the top earners was also highlighted. Chief Afe Babalola paid a 7.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) of N31 million and a 10% withholding tax of N41.4 million, while Wole Olanipekun paid N8.6 million in VAT and N11.5 million in withholding tax.
