Nigerian Lawyers Bag Over N1.1bn in Fees from Federal Government: The Inside Story
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Justice, has paid approximately N1.1 billion in professional fees to notable Nigerian lawyers and law firms, including Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and 23 other legal practices over the past three years.
This information comes from an analysis of expenditure data provided by GovSpend, a civic tech platform dedicated to tracking government spending. The services rendered by these prominent lawyers cover a wide range of legal tasks, including offering legal advice, drafting documents, representing clients in court, and handling various aspects of legal and transactional work. These tasks also encompass legal risk assessments for real estate and business ventures, as well as services in advocacy, mediation, regulatory compliance, and lobbying.
In July 2024 alone, Chief Afe Babalola, Wole Olanipekun, and Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, collectively received N482.7 million from the Ministry of Justice. A breakdown of this payment reveals that Babalola received the largest share, with N372.9 million paid for his role in representing the Federal Government in case FHC/ABJ/SC/8962/2023, registered in the Abuja High Court. Olanipekun and Izinyon received N103.6 million and N6.2 million, respectively, for similar services rendered at different times.
In 2022, the Ministry of Justice disbursed N359.7 million to at least 17 lawyers, while in 2021, four lawyers received a combined N319.3 million. Among those who received payments in 2022 were Savannah Law Chambers (N17.4 million), Lex Habitae (N21.8 million), Rashida Mohammed & Co (N17.4 million), and Abdullahi Haruna & Co (N17.4 million). Other firms like LDS Legal (N70.9 million) and King’s Chambers (N15.7 million) were also included in the payouts.
Additionally, the payments in 2021 included N174 million to Mr. Chikwendu Madumere, as well as notable sums to firms like LDS Legal, Olowolafe & Co, and Sulaiman Salihu & Co.
