The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says President Bola Tinubu has approved the employment of 50 medical doctors and 100 nurses for hospitals across the nation’s correctional centres.
Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Tuesday when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
The minister said the president’s approval followed the shortage of medical personnel in some correctional centres.
He noted that the correctional centre hospital in Rivers had no medical doctor to attend to inmates.
According to him, equipment in some correctional centres, such as Kuje, can support major surgeries.
“The President understands that he is the President of all Nigerians, including inmates. And as a father to all, he has always shown that he cares,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Government had also been training inmates through a “train-the-trainer” programme.
“We have been able to build capacity through what we call ‘train the trainer’. We carried out inmate skills audits by visiting our correctional centres to identify the skills inmates already have.
“We then empower them to train other inmates. Those who complete the training are also empowered.
“We have also sanitised the system, and the President has done very well by increasing their feeding allowance by 50 per cent,” he said.
The minister underscored the need for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation to showcase and communicate the achievements of the Ministry of Interior to Nigerians.
“We want you to come and see some of the things we have achieved.
“In terms of our national security strategy, we want to collaborate more with you so that there can be a coordinated communication strategy.
“In the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), we have created what we call mine marshals in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals. They are now securing our minefields.
“You can see the effect. There is a reduction in criminality and violence in the sector, as well as better protection of critical national assets,” he said.
The Information and National Orientation minister called for improved collaboration with the Ministry of Interior to strengthen communication between the Federal Government and Nigerians.
Idris pledged to effectively communicate the reforms being implemented by the ministry to the public.
“Our job is to ensure that whatever we do, whatever the administration does, the Nigerian public hears about it and aligns with it. This is primarily our responsibility,” he said.
