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Up to 6000 officers will be recruited for the Nigeria Prison Service next year, the Controller General of the Service said on Thursday.
Speaking at a workshop on Information Management for Command Officers and Public Relations Officers of the Nigerian Prisons Service in Kaduna, said the Federal Government included the plan in the 2018 budget.
He said the goal of the Nigerian Prisons Service under his leadership is to have a system that provides conditions of imprisonment above the minimum standard prescribed by the United Nations, stating that recent developments attest to this drive.
Ahmed revealed that with the active support of the Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), the Federal Government approved an upward review of budget allocation to address the myriads of challenges bedeviling the Service.
According to him, this singular approach coupled with prudent management of resources has changed the face of the Nigerian Prisons Service to the admiration of all and sundry.
He said: “It is relevant to state that within two years of my stewardship as the Controller-General of Prisons, we have taken active steps to provide operational vehicles in order to improve access to justice for those awaiting trial; significantly improved on the quality of prison cells by renovating old ones and constructing new ones where space allows; embarked on office and barrack renovations; procured large quantity of assorted drugs, the type the Service has not had in a long while, and distributed them to prison formations and also purchased sundry items to make life better for the inmates. The ailing farm centres are also being revived through procurement of machineries to improve inmates’ training and increase productivity.”
Ahmed also disclosed that the Service has promoted over 11,000 Personnel to boost staff morale and their productivity.
“We have also compiled the list of qualified officers for the next promotion exercise, which is coming out soon”, he added.
Ahmed, at the event, received an Award of Icon of Crisis Management in Nigeria from the Centre of Crisis Communication.