Senate Proposes N1000 Daily Feeding Allowance For Prisoners 

The Senate is proposing N1000 daily feeding allowance for prisoners  in Nigeria.

The Senate Committee on Interior led by Senator Kashim Shettima (APC Borno Central) reached the decision when the leadership of the NCS appeared before it to defend the Service’s 2022 budget projections.

The NCS Boss had earlier disclosed that the current N450 daily feeding allowance for inmates was inadequate for the running of correctional centres across the country, adding that of the 66,346 inmates in the NCS centres across the country, 47, 959 are awaiting trial.

He also disclosed that the population made most of the centres congested and below the international standard of correctional services.

Leading other members of the panel, the Committee Chairman, Senator Kashim Shettima (APC Borno Central) frowned at the N750 daily feeding cost proposed for the inmate.

Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP Enugu North) corroborated Senator Shettima’s submission, arguing that going by the current value of the Naira and high costs of living in the country, the proposed N750 made by the Acting Comptroller General is inadequate.

“Mr Chairman , I will urge this committee to jerk up the proposed N750 feeding cost per day on each of the inmates at the custodian centres to at least N1,000.00 because no grown up Nigeria today can survive with N750 per day as far as feeding is concerned “, he said .

Seconding the motion, Senator Betty Apiafi (PDP Rivers West) said the N1, 000 proposed should be the minimum and must be reflected in the final budget to be passed for the correctional service .

The committee chairman  ruled in favour of the motion by hitting the gavel on the table to that effect and promised to discuss the committee’s decision with the leadership of the Senate

“The proposed N1, 000.00 is the minimum and will surely be reflected in the budget to be passed by way of required appropriation,” he said.

On the problem of Prison congestion, Senator Utazi asked the committee to have an interface with the CJN and NBA for a way out.

Senator Betty Apiafi suggested that a proper motion should be sponsored on the floor of the Senate by any member of the committee to that effect.