The Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), Haliru Nababa, has revealed that the federal government spends more on feeding security dogs than on inmates in prisons. This disclosure was made during a joint hearing of the National Assembly Committee on Interior.
Nababa informed the committee that he has requested a review of the feeding allowance for inmates from N750 to N3,000 per day. He explained that despite the request, they are still awaiting approval. The NCS boss emphasized the inadequacy of the current budget for feeding inmates, dogs, and staff on training in six training institutions across the country.
According to Nababa, the total number of inmates in 2023 is 81,354 nationwide, with 53,352 awaiting trial. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the chairman of the committee, expressed concern over the disparity in the feeding allowance, stating that a grown-up man in Nigeria is fed with N750 per day, while each dog under the NCS’s care is fed with N800 per day.
Oshiomhole raised the issue as a major policy concern, questioning the government’s intention to allocate more funds to feed animals than to feed human beings. He emphasized that prisons are meant to correct behaviors and not to dehumanize individuals.
During the hearing, the CG NCS explained that the feeding allowance per day would be reduced to N720 after the deduction of VAT and tax. When asked for a breakdown of the menu being served to prisoners for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the CG and his team mentioned having a menu chart but were not in possession of it during the hearing.
Senator Oshiomhole expressed disbelief at how the authorities manage to feed inmates with such a paltry sum, especially considering market prices. He emphasized that many of the inmates are innocent and awaiting trial, making the current feeding allowance grossly inadequate. The committee urged further scrutiny and consideration of the feeding budget to address the disparity between the treatment of inmates and the allocation for security dogs.
