Reactions As Reps Blow Hot/Reveal Wasted Allocated Budgets Of N165bn/Condemn State of Prison Facilities And Condition Of Inmates

By Princely Onyenwe, Imo

Nigerians have reacted over non- usage of federal allocation of 165billion naira proposed for the improvement of welfare of inmates and upgrade of correctional facilities across the country.

This is coming few hours the Federal House of Representatives the Honourable Minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved a motion of public importance to call for an investigation of the correctional service and the allocations to it.

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the Nigerian Correctional Service over the dilapidated state of its facilities and poor welfare of inmates at its centres, despite budgets of N165bn in two years.

9News Nigeria house correspondents gathered that the plenary was held on Wednesday 16-02-2022 where the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved a motion of urgent public importance to call for an investigation of the correctional service and the allocations to it.

The motion was titled, ‘Urgent need to investigate the deplorable state of inmates and the unwholesome working conditions of officers and men of the Nigeria Correctional Service despite huge budgetary allocations with attendant adverse effects on security of custodial facilities and the new mandate of the service.

Elumelu said based on the enactment of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, the nation joined most countries of the world in adopting the modern correctional alternatives to incarceration or imprisonment, including non-custodial measures.

The Act, he stated, situated the workforce of the service as the single most important resource available to the correctional system and thus prioritised the welfare of the officers and men of the NCoS in line with international best practices to propel them to optimal performance.Elumelu stated,

“The House is disturbed that despite this Act and the increase in budgetary allocations to the Nigerian Correctional Service to drive its renewed mandate, the tempo and quality of the correctional service have remained the same, if not retrogressing.

“The House is worried that the working conditions of staff members and inmates’ welfare have deteriorated, notwithstanding the over N165bn budget allocations to the service in two years.

“The House has observed that the Arms Squad unit of the NCoS still parades obsolete and substandard weapons, despite the over N1bn budget provision for prison biometrics, arms and ammunition in the 2020/2021.

However, Warders, inmates’ conditions have continued worsening despite increasing allocations as REVEALED by the Federal House of Representatives in their plenary and something meaningful has to be done to improve the welfare of inmates and upgrade of correctional facilities across NIGERIA.

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