The Nigerian Government has approved the recruitment of 50 medical doctors and 100 nurses to strengthen healthcare services in hospitals across Nigeria’s correctional centres.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, paid him a courtesy visit.
Tunji-Ojo said the approval was granted by President Bola Tinubu in response to the shortage of medical personnel in several correctional facilities across the country.
According to him, some correctional centre hospitals currently operate without qualified medical staff.
He cited the correctional facility in Rivers State, which he said has no medical doctor available to provide services for inmates.
“The President understands that he is the President of all Nigerians, including those inmates. And as father to all, he has always shown that he cares,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He noted that some correctional centre hospitals, including the one in Kuje, already have the equipment needed to perform major surgical procedures.
The minister also highlighted ongoing programmes aimed at equipping inmates with vocational skills through a “train the trainer” initiative.
“We have been able to build capacity through what we call train the trainer. We did what we call inmate skills audits. We went to our correctional centres to know the skills these inmates had,” he said.
“We now empower you to be able to train other people. Those people who graduate, we empower them,” he added.
Tunji-Ojo further revealed that the Federal Government had improved welfare conditions for inmates, noting that the President recently approved a 50 per cent increase in their feeding allowance.
He also called for stronger collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation to ensure that the achievements of the Ministry of Interior are effectively communicated to Nigerians.
“We want you to come and see some of the things we have been able to achieve,” he said.
“In terms of our national security strategy, we want to collaborate more with you so that there can be a coordinated communication strategy.”
Tunji-Ojo added that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had introduced mine marshals in partnership with the Ministry of Solid Minerals to secure mining areas across the country.
“And you can see that the effect is there. There is reduction in criminality and violence within this sector, and also protection of critical national assets,” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasised the need for closer collaboration between the two ministries to improve government communication with the public.
“Our job is to ensure that whatever we do, whatever the administration does, the Nigerian public hears it and aligns with it. This is primarily our responsibility,” Idris said.
