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A nongovernmental organisation, the Alliance for Good Governance (AGG), has said that the welfare of over 75,000 inmates in correctional facilities across Nigeria was in danger, following the Federal Government’s failure to clear its debts of about N5.6 billion to food and gas contractors; a development that has sparked fear of starvation and malnutrition, as well as a looming collapse of services in the nation’s prisons.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the organisation’s coordinator and secretary, Chris Sanwo and Jude Nwokolo, respectively.
The organisation urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to avert avoidable humanitarian and economic disaster.
It also stressed that the backlog of unpaid dues, dating back to October 2023 has left many contractors unable to sustain supplies, forcing some to withdraw their services entirely.
“The nonpayment of contractors’ dues threatens to cripple the entire prison feeding system, putting the welfare of over 75,000 inmates at risk. Beyond the walls of the correctional centres, it has also plunged contractors and their employees into severe financial hardship, triggering job losses and worsening poverty,” the group lamented.
It noted that the skyrocketing prices of staple food items, such as beans, rice and garri have further compounded the crisis, making it nearly impossible for vendors to continue operations without payment.
Although the Federal Government recently raised the daily feeding allowance for inmates from N750 to N1,125 in a bid to improve nutrition, the organisation said the gesture had been undermined by the government’s failure to settle arrears for rations and gas supplied.
It noted that some contractors have not been paid since August 2024, while arrears for October, November and December 2023, remain outstanding.
Many contractors, the statement revealed, had taken loans from banks at high-interest rates to fulfil their supply obligations. Now, with the government payments stalled, many of them are trapped in debt, unable to meet obligations to lenders, staff and suppliers. “This is not just about the inmates; it is about the survival of hundreds of businesses and the jobs they provide. The ripple effect on the wider economy is dangerous and could undermine investors’ confidence,” AGG warned.
The NGO appealed to President Tinubu to ensure prompt release of funds, while also calling on the National Assembly’s Committees on Interior to launch an urgent probe into the matter and strengthen oversight to prevent a recurrence.
“The Tinubu administration has shown commitment to tackling poverty through its Renewed Hope Agenda. It will be a tragedy if this noble effort is undermined by bureaucratic bottlenecks that leave inmates starving and contractors bankrupt,” the organisation said.
Efforts to get officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Ministry of Interior to speak on the matter failed as they declined to respond to media inquiries.
However, an aggrieved contractor, who withdrew his services, pointed fingers at the Ministry of Finance.
“The truth is that the issue lies with the Ministry of Finance. They are the ones to release the funds. Until they do, there is little the Interior Ministry can achieve. It’s high time they spoke out so that Nigerians will know where the problem really is,” he stated.
For now, the fate of Nigeria’s prison inmates, and the financial survival of contractors, remain in limbo, with stakeholders anxiously awaiting presidential intervention to stave off what could possibly escalate into a national embarrassment.
