PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Nwakuche Ndidi as the acting controller-general (CG) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
Ndidi’s appointment was contained in a statement by Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed, on Friday, December 13.
The appointment takes effect on December 15, 2024, following the expiration of the term of the current CG, Haliru Nababa.
Until his appointment, Ndidi served as the deputy controller-general in charge of Training and Staff Development Directorate.
The statement added that he was born on November 26, 1966, in Oguta, Imo State.
He is a fellow of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic.
Tinubu urged Ndidi to leverage his wealth of experience in his new role.
The NCS is a very important arm of paramilitary in Nigeria. Data from the NCS in 2023 showed that 54,141 inmates awaited trial.
The number represents 69 per cent of inmates in the nation’s prisons.
To await trial means the court has yet to pass its final verdict on the crime allegedly committed. Hence, the alleged criminal is remanded until a judgment is passed.
The data show that as of December 11, 2023, the number of inmates was 78,446, of which 24,305 had been convicted.
The number of inmates increased by 2,937 in December 2023 from 75,509 reported in December 2022.
By gender, the total number of male inmates is 76,670, while females are 1,776.
The ICIR findings in the 2024 proposed budget submitted by the Federal Government showed that the NCS had a capital expenditure of N13.91 billion of the total N120.63 billion allocated.
This means the NCS was to spend more of its budget (88.5 per cent) on personnel and overhead costs, while capital projects would take 11.5 per cent.
A glance through some of the capital projects shows ongoing construction of 3,000 capacity maximum security prison in Abuja with N700.87 million; the construction and rehabilitation of custodial centres and barracks nationwide with N7.70 billion; and the construction of four 3,000-capacity maximum security custodial centres in four states with N1.86 billion, among others.
A reporter with the ICIR
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