Nigerian Senate condemns N300 meal per day for prisoners

- Every Nigerian prisoner is entitled to a meal worth N300

- This was revealed at a recent meeting of the Senate Committee on Interior

- The committee frowned at the amount allocated for each prisoner

The Senate committee on interior has condemned the budgetary allocation of N450 for meal per day for persons serving time in Nigerian prisons.

The Senator Andy Uba-led committee made this known at the 2018 budget defence of the ministry of interior on Thursday, January 25.

Reacting to questions by members of the committee, the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Ahmed Ja’afaru told lawmakers that N17 billion was allocated for feeding which is to spread across 244 prisons, thus one prisoner gets N450 meal per day.

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In reaction, a member of the committee, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, lambasted the federal government for the little budgetary allocation given to prisoners in the country which he had noticed over time.

Senator Utazi noted that the treatment given to the prison inmates “would make them gradually become a menace” when they are eventually released into the society.

“In 2015, I told the former CG about this because I oversee also the human rights and we go to prisons and we see these things ourselves. I raised this issue of prison food ration. It is a serious issue that I think if you get it right; it would help a whole lot of things,” Utazi said.

“You have 17 billion here spread across 244 prisons. It is 244 with all the population there and we have 17 billion, I want to find out, what is the present ration per head,” the Enugu state lawmaker asked.

The Comptroller-General explained that the N300 was for the actual meal and N150 is expended on cooking.

Irked by his response, Senator Utazi called for a review of the allocation for feeding for prisoners.

“450 for one day? For an adult? Mr. chairman, this is outrageous. This is unacceptable, unthinkable and unheard of. This committee will not be a party to this kind of budget. It is totally embarrassing that adults that you send to the prison, they have 300 meals. Is it for a baby or for who?

“I feel that we are getting it wrong. That is part of the problem we are having in the country. You send people to go and be reformed, they come out hardened and they become a menace to our society,” he added.

He continued: “Mr. chairman, I feel that you are going to take this thing up on our behalf to get to the budget office. The minister of planning and this thing has to be reviewed. Today, in most of the prisons are at the mercy of benevolent people who send food to prison inmates and I don’t know how many of them are out there doing such.

“This is for 2017, we are yet to get to 2018 and see what they are just doing here. I am of the opinion that we have a total review. Anything that is not in the neighbourhood of giving this people minimum of 500 per meal is not acceptable.

“In a day N1,500 per inmate. These are human beings and our brothers. Yes they are deviants but they remain our brothers and we want them to come out unless you want them to remain in the prison forever. There is no way the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be budgeting N450 per head.”

Earlier, chairman of the committee, Senator Andy Uba had asked the interior ministry to provide necessary documents in support of their argument on the service wide vote.

The minister of interior, Abdurahaman Dambazau had also told the lawmakers that the ministry was working on the successful repatriation of Nigerians in Libya.

Meanwhile, Senator Uba has congratulated former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who was on Friday, January 19, honoured as the first recipient of a doctorate degree from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

The lawmaker who was in attendance to witness the convocation ceremony on Saturday, December 20, expressed his delight and described the achievement as a motivation to all Nigerian youths.

He therefore encouraged the youth to pursue their educational dreams to the highest possible level irrespective of their age and background.

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Source: Legit.ng