Legal Services Department
The Directorate of Legal Services of the Ministry is made up of Law Officers from the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Federal Ministry of Justice and other non-lawyers as support staff.
Law Officers
The Directorate of Legal Services is headed by the Ministry’s Legal Adviser, the Director Legal Services and ably supported by:
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- Deputy Director Legal Services
- Assistant Director Legal Services
- Principal State Counsel and two (2) Senior State Counsels
Other Staff:
Other Staff of the Department is made up of Secretaries, Admin Officers, and Clerks
Functions:
The functions of the Directorate of Legal Services are:
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- Rendering legal advice/opinion to the Ministry and its Agencies on policy matters, legislations, contracts, litigations, personnel matters, compensation matters and international relations, etc.
- Preparation, drafting and vetting of legal documents like agreement and MoUs.
- Defending the Ministry in law suits involving the Ministry all over the Federation and initiating suits on behalf of the Ministry when necessary.
- Representation in Procurement Committee and in the Ministerial Tenders Board.
- Providing Legal advice to various committees set up in the Ministry as a member or non-member.
- Liaison with the Federal Ministry of Justice and other MDAs in the discharge of various legal services as the need arises.
- Representing the Ministry at meetings, conferences and seminars bordering on legal issues within and outside Nigeria.
- Providing updates to the Ministry on current judicial pronouncements and legal development globally in respect of water resources management.
The legal functions are carried out by the Legal Officers under the Director while the other members of staff are charged with the responsibility of carrying out the secretarial and the clerical duties in the Directorate.