…says dehumanising inmates can aggravate crime rate
…as CG Correctional Services says FG spends N800 to feed dog, N750 to feed prisoner daily
KEMI OMONIYI
ABUJA, Nigeria – Former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC Edo North) on Thursday said it is demoralising to hear that dogs in the service of the Nigeria Correctional Service are better fed than any of the over 81,000 inmates in correctional centres across the country.
Oshiomhole, who is the chairman of the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Interior was taken aback by the disclosure by the Comptroller General of the Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, that the service spend N800 per day to feed each of the 900 dogs in the service while just N750 is allocated to feed each prisoner, majority of whom are awaiting trials, at N250 per meal.
The former national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lamenter that while the fault might not be that of the Correctional Service, it is heath-wrecking to know that Nigerian government has been dehumanising her citizens.
Oshiomhole told the Nababa that “the figures given here suggests that you have been dehumanizing Nigerians”.
He went further to say that “if it was the policy of the Federal Government to appropriate more money to feed dogs than human beings, we must correct errors of the past
The Comptroller General who was accompanied by senior management staff of the Service to the Senate to defend the 2024 budget proposals disclosed that 53,362 out of the total inmates spread across Nigerian prisons are awaiting trials.
Senator Oshiomhole had during the budget defence interaction requested for a breakdown on the number of inmates and security dogs they have at current and how they are fed on a daily basis.
“I would like to see a breakdown of how you feed these inmates, if you say you feed inmates three times a day with N250 each.
“How many dogs do you have and how much does it cost to feed them daily?”
Responding to these questions, the Comptroller General said, “We have 81,358 inmates of which 53,362 are awaiting trial.
“We feed each inmate with N750 daily and they are fed 3 times daily (N250 for each square meal).
“We have 900 security dogs and to feed a dog each day is N800 daily.”
While responding to a question from Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Nababa said, “We have 75 Medical doctors and consultants, 6 veterinary doctors who cover Lagos, Kaduna, Owerri and some of them cover more than one state and they move from place to place.
“The veterinary doctors have different nurses under them.”
But his response on the number of inmates further infuriated Oshiomhole and some other members of the committee that an appreciable number of Nigerian are languishing in.prisons without being convicted while their fates hang in the balance.
The committee chairman said it is unfortunate that most of those waiting trials found themselves in prison due to wickedness of a few “powerful individuals”.
Speaking further, Oshiomhole said “your name has been changed from prison to correctional, but you are dehumanising.
“It’s not just your fault because the government appropriates little money for you but it is either that you don’t feed these prisoners or you feed them only once and even at that, very miserable food.
“This is why they have completely emaciated and some can never live a decent life again even when they did not commit an offence.
“It is not correct to tell us that you feed prisoners a day with N750, how?
“You all know the prices of these food items in the market, so how can you look us eye to eye and tell us that you feed a man in Nigeria awaiting trial or even committed and offence with N750 a day, how much is a bottle of water.”
The Comptroller General, however, pleaded with the lawmakers seated to come to the aid of the Service by using the instrument of legislation to increase budgetary allocation to Correctional Services so that there can be improvement in the welfare of inmates, among others.
He said “we wrote a letter to the President to review 3,000 per day for each inmate. We want this committee to assist us in putting in words for us.”
The joint committee then demanded from the Comptroller General, detailed information requested as Oshiomhole bowed not to go through the 2024 budget proposals of the Service in a hurry.
He said “I am not ready to take any decision in a hurry. We are not going to rubber stamp any proposal presented to us. We can’t appropriate tax payers money to them without clear conviction of the expenses.
“We need clarity. That is how we can help you and not even helping you but innocent Nigerians who are in custody for no fault of theirs. We have to let them live better lives.
“If you can’t answer our questions satisfactorily, we have to adjourn.”
