- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has authorized the employment of 50 medical doctors and 100 nurses to serve across Nigeria’s correctional centers.
- The move addresses a critical shortage of healthcare professionals within the prison system, ensuring inmates have access to essential medical services.
- The Federal Government also announced a 50% increase in feeding allowances for inmates as part of a broader humanitarian reform strategy.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate recruitment of 150 medical professionals.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the recruitment drive, consisting of 50 doctors and 100 nurses, is designed to close the personnel gap that has left many correctional hospitals understaffed and unable to provide basic care.
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The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the approval during a courtesy visit from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Tunji-Ojo revealed that the dearth of medical personnel had reached a critical point, citing the correctional facility in Rivers State as an example where no medical doctor was available to attend to inmates’ needs.
Despite the staff shortages, the Minister noted that the government has invested heavily in infrastructure.
Facilities like the Kuje Correctional Centre are now equipped with medical theaters capable of performing major surgeries, though these assets have been underutilized due to a lack of specialists.
“The President understands that he is the President of all Nigerians, including those inmates,” Tunji-Ojo stated, emphasizing the humanitarian nature of the reform.
Beyond healthcare recruitment, the Minister highlighted several key achievements in the correctional sector:
- Feeding Allowance Increase: Inmate feeding allowances have been bumped up by 50% to improve nutrition and general well-being.
- Skills Audits: The ministry has conducted comprehensive audits to identify the vocational skills inmates possess before they enter or while they are in the system.
- Train-the-Trainer Programs: Empowering skilled inmates to train their peers, creating a cycle of rehabilitation and self-sufficiency upon their release.
The Minister also touched on broader security successes, particularly the creation of “Mine Marshals” within the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
This unit, established in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals, has significantly reduced violence and criminality in Nigeria’s minefields while protecting critical national assets.
As the Ministry of Information prepares to coordinate a new communication strategy to showcase these gains, the recruitment of medical staff remains a centerpiece of the administration’s commitment to ensuring that correctional centers serve as places of actual reform and dignity rather than just detention.
