The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has proposed N14.83 billion in its 2026 budget for the feeding of inmates nationwide.
Its Controller-General, Sylvester Nwakuche, disclosed this while presenting the agency’s 2025 budget performance and 2026 estimates before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions in Abuja.
According to him, the proposed allocation is to feed an estimated inmate population of 91,100 at a daily rate of N1,125 per person.
Nwakuche emphasised that adequate feeding aligns with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders.
The CG also presented the full 2026 budget proposal of N198.85 billion, covering personnel costs, recurrent overhead, operational expenses, inmate feeding, and capital expenditure for both custodial and non-custodial operations nationwide.
Of the total proposal, N138.30 billion is earmarked for personnel costs to cater for a projected staff strength of 37,541, while N50.40 billion is allocated to recurrent overhead, which includes the N14.83 billion feeding component.
An additional N100.50 billion is proposed for capital expenditure to address infrastructure deficits, while N37.99 billion is sought for the implementation of non-custodial measures across the country’s 774 local council areas.
Nwakuche noted that the service currently has a total inmate population of 80,812, of which 51,955 are awaiting trial, 24,913 are convicted, and 3,850 fall under other detention categories.
He highlighted that while personnel and operational expenses are critical, capital funding remains crucial for the construction and rehabilitation of custodial facilities, procurement of operational vehicles and security equipment, and the development of prison farm centres and ICT systems.
Nwakuche described the NCoS as a critical institution within the criminal justice system, responsible for custodial and non-custodial services, safe custody of legally detained persons, as well as their rehabilitation and reintegration as law-abiding citizens.
He added that the service is mandated to ensure inmates are adequately fed in line with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders.
On the 2025 budget performance, the Controller-General disclosed that the service received a total appropriation of N184.63 billion during the year, covering personnel, overhead and capital expenditure.
Of the N124.31 billion approved for personnel costs, N112.68 billion, representing 90.6 per cent, was released and fully utilised for salaries, pensions and health insurance contributions under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
He said recurrent overhead releases stood at 73.7 per cent, with the last tranche for October 2025 released in December.
From the funds received, Nwakuche said N27.28 billion, representing 71.7 per cent, was spent on inmates’ feeding nationwide, while outstanding obligations for food rations stood at N10.75 billion.
He added N6.49 billion was expended on operational costs, including staff training, fuelling of operational vehicles for court duties, electricity, security services and facility maintenance.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Chinedu Ogah, called for urgent reforms in the nation’s correctional system, including increased funding, improved infrastructure, and assent to the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill.
He lamented that many facilities, some over a century old, have deteriorated significantly, contributing to congestion and operational strain.
Ogah praised ongoing efforts to expand access to education within correctional centres, noting that about 10 study centres of the National Open University of Nigeria have been established in prisons nationwide, including the Abakaliki Correctional Centre, enabling inmates to acquire education free of charge.
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