President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 50 medical doctors and 100 nurses to strengthen healthcare services across correctional centres in Nigeria.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Tunji-Ojo said the approval was prompted by the shortage of medical personnel in several correctional facilities across the country.

According to him, some correctional centre hospitals currently lack basic medical staff, citing a facility in Rivers State where there is no doctor available to attend to inmates.

“The President understands that he is the President of all Nigerians, including those in correctional facilities. As a father to all, he has always shown that he cares,” the minister said.

He added that some correctional centre hospitals, including the one in Kuje, have equipment capable of handling major surgical procedures but lack adequate medical personnel to fully utilise the facilities.

Tunji-Ojo also highlighted ongoing reforms within the correctional system, including programmes aimed at equipping inmates with vocational skills.

According to him, the Federal Government has introduced a train-the-trainer initiative, where inmates with existing skills are empowered to train others within the correctional centres.

“We conducted what we call inmate skills audits across correctional centres to identify the abilities inmates already possess. Those with skills are empowered to train others, and those who complete the programmes are also supported,” he said.

The minister added that the Federal Government has also increased the feeding allowance for inmates by 50 per cent as part of broader welfare improvements.

Tunji-Ojo further called for stronger collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation to effectively communicate the reforms and achievements of the Ministry of Interior to the public.

He also highlighted security initiatives under the ministry, including the deployment of mine marshals by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in partnership with the Ministry of Solid Minerals to protect mining sites.

According to him, the initiative has contributed to a reduction in criminal activities and violence within the mining sector.

Responding, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, pledged to strengthen collaboration with the Interior Ministry to ensure government reforms and programmes are properly communicated to Nigerians.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that whatever the administration does is properly communicated so the Nigerian public understands and aligns with it,” Idris said.