Nigeria Correctional Service has disclosed that it spends more money feeding and training dogs than feeding inmates and rehabilitating those who have served their jail terms.
The Comptroller General of the NCS, Haliru Nababa gave this revelation at the 2024 budget defence when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Interior at the National Assembly, Abuja.
Nababa said his office has written to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-ojo, seeking an upward review of the feeding allowances for dogs and inmates but is yet to get positive feedback.
He urged the National Assembly to consider the request given the high cost of food items across the country, insisting that anything short of an increment from N750.00 per day to N3,000 as requested would lead to starvation of inmates and dogs.
“We are therefore seeking the assistance of the National Assembly to approve the increment, even as we have made provision for the feeding of inmates, dogs and staff on training in six training institutions across the country.”
The Comptroller General gave the figure of inmates in 2023 at 81,354 nationwide while 53,352 are awaiting trial.
He said the budget for feeding each of them per day is N751 per day at N250 per meal, per inmate, adding that the cost of feeding allowance would reduce to N720.00 when VAT and TAX are removed.
Upon request by Committee members to produce a breakdown, the CG said, they were not with the total breakdown immediately but noted that the cost of feeding inmates with regards to breakfast, lunch and dinner depends on the locality of their service.
Chairman of the Committee, Adams Oshiomhole wondered how the authorities of the NCS managed to feed the inmates with such a paltry sum going by the market price.
“One thing has come out is that an unconvicted Nigerian is being fed with N750 and you feed each of the dogs under your care with N800 per day.
“So, a dog is better fed in the Nigerian prison than an innocent Nigerian in your custody.
“It is a policy issue. We don’t know the intention of the government to appropriate money to feed animals rather than to feed human beings. It is a major policy issue for us.”
