The Federal Government has increased the daily feeding allowance of inmates in its prisons from N750 to N1,125.
Newsmen had in June last year, detailed how Nigeria’s rising double-digit inflation was impacting negatively on the feeding of inmates.
It was gathered that when taxes, cost of gas and profits for the food vendors were taken from the N750 daily allowance, the actual amount used for feeding an inmate in a day was less than N500 for a three square meal.
However, speaking during his maiden meeting with senior officers from the rank of controllers of prisons, the Acting Controller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, NPS, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, promised to continue to press for improved rate, in line with the times.
He said: “You will agree with me that inmates’ feeding rate has been graciously increased by Mr. President from N750 to N1,125 per inmate per day. While it is not yet ‘Uhuru’, I will continue to press for improved rate.”
According to Nwakuche, monitoring teams from the national headquarters have been sent out to monitor inmates’ feeding.
He urged the senior officers to cooperate with them and see it as a national assignment.
While noting that the Service existed to serve the inmates, he said their welfare will be a top priority.
Nwakuche also disclosed his resolve to fast-track the speedy prosecution of 48,932 awaiting trial inmates, as part of measures to decongest prisons’ facilities.
Meanwhile, I want to urge you to relate with your state chief judges, attorneys-general, commissioners of police to further address the challenges,” he stated.
He said overcrowding, no doubt, stood out as the most pressing challenge of the NPS, and that while engaging state chief executives to expedite the trial of the over 90% state offenders in custody, the use of non-custodial measures and early release mechanisms would be taken up with the judiciary.
Nwakuche said his administration would explore the window of opportunities provided by non-prison measures to address the influx of inmates into her facilities.
