What FG Spends On Feeding 4,000 Inmates Daily – Interior Minister Makes Revelation

What FG Spends On Feeding 4,000 Inmates Daily – Interior Minister Makes Revelation

On Monday, the Nigerian government disclosed that it allocates N3 million daily to provide meals for approximately 4,000 inmates in prisons nationwide.

This expenditure, as argued by authorities, underscores the pressing need for the decongestion of correctional facilities across the country.

Read Also BREAKING: Ondo Commissioner Leaks ‘Big Secret’, Reveals What Tinubu Asked Aiyedatiwa To Do

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who took office a few months ago, has been actively involved in efforts to reduce overcrowding in prisons. As part of this initiative, around 4,000 inmates are expected to be released.

The minister highlighted the financial burden on the Federal Government, with 80,804 inmates housed in 253 custodial facilities. The substantial daily cost of feeding inmates is a significant draw on government funds.

Read Also Ndume Reacts To Rendition Of Tinubu’s Campaign Tune In Senate

“To feed these 4,068 inmates costs the government about N3 million a day. Multiply N3 million a day by 365 days,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today. 

Prior to the decongestion initiative, the minister stated that N500 million was required to cover fines for inmates, enabling their release.

This proposal sparked debates, with human rights lawyer Femi Falana urging the Federal Government to reconsider the plan.

However, Olubunmi clarified that the funds were sourced from the private sector. He argued that a comparative analysis indicated it was more practical to pay the fines for the inmates. Given that the money was not drawn from the government’s coffers, he asserted that proceeding with the decongestion effort made logical sense.

The minister said, “we raised N585 million from the private sector to offset these fines and compensations to save the government of average of N1.1 billion per annum in feeding. That’s just the economy of scale,” he added.

“So, to me, what is the justification behind feeding somebody with N1.1 billion why holding him for N585 million, especially when that N585 million isn’t coming from the government?”

Stay Updated With More News By Joining Our WhatsApp Group With The Link Below

https://chat.whatsapp.com/HbO11pwVPsL8tBHkSChpMe