Lagos saves N1.25bn by avoiding prolonged litigation, justice commissioner reveals
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it saved more than N1.25 billion in potential liabilities through the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms deployed by the Directorate of Advisory Services and Judicial Liaison.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, disclosed this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Ministry of Justice held at Alausa, Ikeja, to mark the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
Pedro said the directorate prioritised alternative dispute resolution over prolonged litigation, a strategy he noted had reduced financial exposure for the state government while restoring public confidence through amicable settlement of disputes.
According to him, the directorate received about 5,000 petitions during the review period, out of which 3,000 were conclusively resolved through mediation and other conflict resolution processes.
He added that about 1,500 legal advisories were issued, while officials attended nearly 500 disciplinary board meetings and conducted more than 2,000 pre-action protocol meetings, resolving about 600 matters before they escalated into litigation.
Pedro identified one of the major achievements of the directorate as the resolution of a copyright infringement claim involving a state government agency. He said legal intervention and mediation reduced a potential liability of more than N1.26 billion to a settlement sum of N3 million, saving the state over N1.25 billion.
The attorney-general also disclosed that the Office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee resolved 8,112 estate-related petitions and facilitated the payment of more than N769.6 million to beneficiaries between May 2023 and April 2026.
According to him, the office received 9,826 petitions within the period under review, representing an 85 per cent resolution rate after concluding 8,112 matters. He added that the office administered thousands of estates within and outside Nigeria, secured 50 Letters of Administration, partitioned more than 3,000 estates and generated over N221.1 million in revenue for the state government.
