By Edwin Philip
In continuation of exploring measures towards decongestion of Custodial Centres across Nigeria, the need for strategising on ways of building, renovating and maintenance of Correctional Service infrastructures have been raised.
This was the focused of day 9 of the second Independent Investigative Panel on the Alleged Corruption, Abused of Power, Torture, Cruel, Inhumane, and Degrading Treatments Against the Nigerian Correctional Service, set up by the Ministry of Interior, holding at Aso hall of Abuja Continental Hotel.
The Investigative committee said in a bid to have a first hand information on the situation of the Correctional Service infrastructures and others issues related to their term of reference, they visited various custodial centres across the country and they saw the level of Infrastructural decay, negligence, lack of maintenance and innovation of infrastructures.
“The reason I am asking this question is that we saw in the field many places where facilities were broken down, in a certain facilities, it was a carpentry workshop roof were blown open” the committee secretary said.
She added that, as a means of equipping the inmates, that some inmates are skilled in construction, while others can be trained in the skills , by the various authorities of custodial centres in some repairs of the infrastructures, as they await funds from the federal government for befitting structures.
“You know in the Correctional Centres we have inmates, many of those there are skilled, there are provisions to engaging them in some constructive activities, what do you think should be the kind of approach that the Correctional Service can apply in relation to teaching inmates in terms of maintenance of building or repairs, sometimes you see that happens ,is there any approach that we could look into all of the facilities you have, those that can be repaired and maintained, have you done so? the panel asked.
Emphasising on the provisions in section 14 of the Correctional Service Act of 2019, where manpower through some of the inmates can be harness to assist the industry experts at the construction sites of the custodial infrastructures and the resources should be divided into three, one part would be used to sustain that enterprise, one part will be given to the inmates as incentives so that they can continue to learn skills and now part will go back to the custodial centres.
The panel however said, from their observation, that the maintenance culture in the custodial centres is very low, as structures and equipment are allowed to rust and decay without proper attention given to it.
In his presentation, an Architect from the works department of the Nigerian Correctional Service, said the structures of the custodial centres were not built for corrections but for punishment by the colonial authorities and as such they are no room for expansion to accommodate new realities.
“Because of this challenge, we were able to work around with what we have, see how we can improve them and make them more humane for human habitation, Nigerian Correctional Service have done quit well in that regards, though we are not where we are supposed to be,” he said.
He blamed lack of funds, as the reason for the infrastructures and facilities not been of standard benefiting of a modern Correctional Service, saying that in the last four years, the service had embarked on a lot innovations and upgrade of facilities in the six geopolitical zones in the country, revealing that the 3000 capacity custodial centres they got approval in 2017 and the initial funds that were agreed by the federal government to be made available for the Nigerian correctional service has not been made available.
“Let’s check this year’s capital expenditures below 14 billion naira, I don’t think there is anything reasonable we can do with that, because in each of this 3000 capacity, requires the Nigerian system about 60 billion naira to put some of the infrastructure in place but unfortunately such moneys are not provided, even the 14 billion naira that was provided for capital project, it is not all that is been released to cater for this infrastructure” he said.
He however, appreciated the administration of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his visible interventions in infrastructural upgrade of the custodial facilities, mentioning Kuje Minimum Custodial centres, where funds were provided and everyone could physically see what the money was used for, appealing on the Nigerian government to provide the necessary funds needed for the constructions of this custodial centres, which has lead to major improvement in the custodial centres.
In other matters attended to by the panel, which includes cases of complains between officers from Okaka custodial centres in Bayelsa State relating to an inmates on death roll and issues involving officers from the Edo State Commands which has to do with corrupt practices.
Speaking on some of the contentious issues, the chairpersons of the panel, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who is also the Permanent Secretary of the ministry of interior, said from what is going in the centres complains were coming from, shows that extant rules of the service have been bridged, asking them to go back home and put their commands in order, adding that all officers should be treated equally, irrespective of gender inline with service rules, questioning why a notorious inmates on death roll is allowed to create issues and he is not been transferred to a different custodial centre, she however ordered the headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service to act on the various complains..