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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Justice ministry lawyers’ robe allowance rises 233% to N1m

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The Federal Government has increased the annual robe allowance for state counsel and legal officers to N1 million.
  • This represents a 233% increase from the previous N300,000 allowance for lawyers in the Federal Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Council.
  • The new rates take effect from January 1, 2027, and will be funded from MDAs' overhead allocations.

State counsel and legal officers in Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria will now receive an annual robe allowance of N1 million. This significant increase marks a 233% rise from the previously reported N300,000 allowance.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the review of Robe Allowance for State Counsel and Legal Officers in the Federal Public Service.

— National Salaries, Incomes and Wages CommissionThe opening statement of the circular announcing the revised allowance.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission issued a circular on July 14, 2026, detailing the revised allowance structure. Lawyers employed in other ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) who perform strictly legal functions will receive N600,000 annually. These new rates are set to take effect from January 1, 2027.

N1,000,000.00 per annum for both the state counsel and legal officers employed in the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria; and N600,000.00 per annum for lawyers employed as legal officers in other ministries, departments and agencies who perform strictly legal functions.

— National Salaries, Incomes and Wages CommissionThe specific amounts approved for the robe allowance under the new arrangement.

The commission directed that the payments for these revised allowances should be funded from the overhead cost allocations of the respective MDAs. The previous N300,000 rate for lawyers in the justice ministry was disclosed in 2021 by the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who stated that approximately 860 lawyers were entitled to it annually, totaling about N258 million.

The revised rates take effect from 1st January 2027, and will be funded from the overhead cost of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

— National Salaries, Incomes and Wages CommissionDetails on the effective date and funding source for the new allowances.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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