The Federal Government has increased the annual robe allowance for state counsel and legal officers in the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria from the previously reported N300,000 to N1 million.
The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission disclosed the new rates in a circular dated July 14, 2026, signed by its Acting Secretary, Adighiogu A. Chiadi, and addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of federal commissions, agencies and government-owned companies, among others.
The commission said the review was approved by the Federal Government as part of a new allowance structure for state counsel and legal officers in the Federal Public Service.
The circular, titled “Review of Robe Allowance for State Counsel and Legal Officers in the Federal Public Service,” stated that the Federal Government had approved the review of the allowance.
Under the new arrangement, state counsel and legal officers employed by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria will receive N1 million annually.
The commission also approved an annual allowance of N600,000 for lawyers employed as legal officers in other ministries, departments and agencies who perform strictly legal functions.
The revised rates will take effect from January 1, 2027, with the affected ministries, departments and agencies directed to fund the payments from their overhead allocations.
The new N1 million rate represents an increase of N700,000, or about 233 per cent, over the N300,000 robe allowance previously reported for lawyers in the Justice Ministry.
Meanwhile, the N600,000 approved for legal officers performing strictly legal functions in other MDAs represents a 100 per cent increase over the previously reported N300,000 rate.
The earlier N300,000 figure was disclosed in 2021 by the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), during the ministry’s budget defence before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Malami had said about 860 lawyers in the ministry were entitled to N300,000 each annually as robe allowance, bringing the total expenditure to approximately N258 million.
However, the latest NSIWC circular does not expressly state the previous allowance applicable to each category of legal officer covered by the new review. Consequently, the N300,000 figure should be regarded as the previously reported rate for lawyers in the Justice Ministry and not necessarily as a confirmed former rate for every category listed in the latest circular.
Robe allowance is intended to support lawyers required to appear in court in prescribed professional attire while representing the Federal Government or its agencies.
The latest review comes amid broader adjustments to public-sector remuneration and allowances as the Federal Government continues to review compensation arrangements across the public service.
The commission directed that enquiries regarding the implementation of the new rates be forwarded to it.
In this article