By BANNERNEWS Reporter
The Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, has warned that the rising population of inmates across the country is exerting enormous pressure on the Service’s annual feeding budget.
Nwakuche disclosed that awaiting trial inmates account for 64 per cent of the total custodial population, further stretching limited resources meant for inmate welfare and facility management.
He spoke on Wednesday while defending the agency’s 2025 budget performance and presenting its 2026 estimates before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions in Abuja.
The Controller-General said N14.83 billion has been earmarked in the 2026 budget proposal to feed an estimated 91,100 inmates nationwide, based on a daily feeding rate of N1,125 per inmate.
He noted that the feeding allocation forms part of a proposed N50.40 billion recurrent overhead expenditure for the 2026 fiscal year, amid growing concerns over overcrowding driven largely by awaiting trial cases.
As of February 9, 2026, Nwakuche said the total inmate population stood at 80,812, comprising 51,955 awaiting trial inmates, 24,913 convicted inmates and 3,850 others under different detention categories.
He stressed that the Service is obligated to provide adequate nutrition in line with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders, describing inmate feeding as both critical and resource-intensive.
Reviewing 2025 performance, Nwakuche said the Service received a total appropriation of N184.63 billion, out of which N27.28 billion — representing 71.7 per cent of released overhead funds — was spent on feeding. However, outstanding liabilities for food rations stood at N10.75 billion.
He added that personnel costs for 2025 amounted to N124.31 billion, with N112.68 billion, or 90.6 per cent, released and fully utilised for salaries, pensions and health insurance under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System. Operational expenses consumed N6.49 billion for staff training, court duties, electricity, security and maintenance.
Capital expenditure recorded the weakest performance, as only N3.22 billion of the N14.50 billion appropriated — 22.2 per cent — was released, leaving N11.27 billion outstanding for projects including facility rehabilitation, vehicles, security equipment and ICT deployment.
For 2026, the Service proposed a total budget of N198.85 billion, including N138.30 billion for personnel costs to cover 37,541 staff under four salary structures. Nwakuche also sought an additional N90.38 billion to raise capital allocation to about N100.50 billion and requested N37.99 billion to implement non-custodial measures across the 774 local government areas.
Earlier, Committee Chairman Hon. Chinedu Ogah described the NCoS as vital to national security but lamented chronic underfunding and dilapidated infrastructure, noting that many custodial centres are over a century old. He urged presidential assent to the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill to ease pressure on federal facilities and assured that the committee would thoroughly scrutinise the 2026 proposal before concluding deliberations.
