Humane Containment of Inmates my Priority- CG Nababa
The Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service(NCoS) Mr Haliru Nababa has said that top on his agenda for the service is full humane Containment of prison inmates under his watch.
The Prison boss disclosed this in his new year message made available to Business Africa Digest in Abuja.
According to him, he has emphasized this drive by inaugurating a Performance Assessment Team to monitor compliance to policy directives and project implementation strategies.
He said the team, will among others, pay close attention to; inmates feeding in terms of quality and quantity of food served; accessibility to basic healthcare; as well as availability of recreational facilities in all Custodial Centres.
Nababa noted that a Quarterly Performance Assessment Form has been made available to monitor inmates court attendance, vocational training, educational opportunities and other Psycho-Social support programmes.
In view of this positive development, Nababa said “presently, no fewer than 970 inmates are running various academic programmes in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Special Study Centres located in our facilities across the nation”.
“This is aside the large number of inmates that sat for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) with impressive results”, he said.
Mr Nababa who was in high spirit said the development is a clear departure from the primitive idea of seeing custody as punitive and an end to one’s career, adding that the Service now emphasizes training of inmates in preparation for their reintegration into the society as useful and responsible citizens.
Speaking further on training, the Correctional boss said he has not relented in training and re-training of personnel which is key to achieving great result, stressing that training institutions have remained engaged throughout the year and have received a facelift through renovation and remodeling of existing facilities.
“Of significant note is the take-off of an additional Training College in Kebbi State to accommodate more personnel for basic and professional courses. This is not excluding other strategic, administrative, operational and specialized courses organized by other security agencies as well as public and private organizations”, he said.
He also said that in
keeping with his policy thrust of improving staff welfare, he has commenced building of new barracks and renovation of old ones, to boost the morale of personnel. The Correctional Service Corporative Society (COCOS) and the Correctional Welfare Insurance Scheme (CWIS) have also continued to evolve better strategies to improve staff well-being.
“Specifically, COCOS has renovated and taken over the running of the Staff Canteen at the National Headquarters, to meet the demand of staff”, he said.
Speaking on national security, Nababa said the country is sadly challenged with a lot of security issues resulting in a series of external jail attacks. This trend is quite alarming as it threatens the sovereignty and prosperity of our nation. However, we are not resting on our oars to ensure that we stem the tide and put to shame all enemies of the state.
As we face the year 2022, we shall consolidate on the gains so far made and device better means of surmounting all challenges”.
He said the Service remain indebted to Mr. President for the generous support they have enjoyed from his government, apart from the fatherly guidance the Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has continued to provide.
