…Senate proposes N1000 Per day for Feeding Prison Inmates
The Senate through its Commitee on Interior has passed an increase in daily feeding cost for a prisoner in Nigerian Correctional Centres from N750 to N1,000 as proposed in the 2022 budget .
This move by the Senate has not gone down well with workers who claim the national minimum wage has not been fully implemented by some states governments
The workers who spoke to http://www.free-africa-tv.com say the Lawmakers are now equating an uncorrupted Nigerian worker with a Prisoner who has committed an offence as N1,000 daily is equal to N30,000 monthly, the same amount approved as minimum wage which has not been taken seriously be most states governments
The Comptroller General , Nigerian Correctional Service ( NCS), Haliru Nababa, in his presentation before the senate Committee during 2022 budget defence session, had said the N450 feeding cost for each of the Prisoners on daily basis , has been increased to N750 as proposed in the 2022 budget estimates .
Senator Chukwuka Utazi frowned at the N750 daily feeding cost proposed for each of the inmate across the custodian centres ,reiterates that with the high cost of consumables, N750 is inadequate.
Senator Betty Apiafi , proposed that N1,000 should be the minimum and must be reflected in the final budget to be passed for the correctional service .
The Committee Chairman accordingly ruled in favour of the motion and assured that the committee will propose the resolution at plenary
This is as the chairman senate committee on Interrior affirmed that the senate will interface with the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Tanko Mohammed and the Nigeria Bar Association ( NBA ) on expeditious justice delivery in decongesting the prisons .
According to him, out of the 66,346 total inmates in custodian centres across the country , 47, 959 are yet to be convicted and awaiting trial
” It is very worrisome for percentage of inmates awaiting trials across the various correctional centres to be 80% while those actually convicted is 20% .
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