Correctional centres will be places of hope- Tunji-Ojo

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says correctional centres across the country will continue to be places of hope for all categories of inmates.

Tunji-Ojo said this at a Performance Contract Signing Retreat, which had the theme “United Front for a Secure Nation and Future”, on Monday in Abuja.

The Minister said that this would be achieved through a positive change in the institutional management of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCOS) for better service delivery.

“I will not defend you that you are doing good in terms of institutional management, but we will take responsibility as it must be better.

“Our responsibility is to make sure people are treated with dignity as the service serves as the bridge between the weak and strongest.

“Whatever you are presenting during this retreat must be based on the premise of rehabilitation, correctional reformation and respect for human rights,” he said.

He said he was pleased with the border control measures put in place by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), adding that a lot still needs to be done to improve these measures.

“We need a service with better border control, administration and management as there are more undesignated borders than the designated ones,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo tasked the NIS to ensure every Nigerian is accounted for at every point in time.

He charged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to strengthen efforts in safeguarding the nation’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI).

“Today we see a lot of vandalism in the power, telecommunications and solid mineral sectors, among others.

“There is, therefore, the need for the Corps to be in charge of all CNAI in line with the Act governing its operations,” the Minister said.

He said that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) remains the security identification architecture of the country.

Tunji-Ojo, however, said that a lot of measures needed to be taken by the Federal Fire Service to enshrine a culture of effective rescue and firefighting operations.

He said that the signing of the performance bond by the heads of parastatal signified a commitment to better service delivery to Nigerians.

“Your uniform is a sign of patriotism, loyalty; so let your patriotism be a sign and not just in words.

“We will give you all the mentorship and support you need but when you fail, but I hope you will not fail, because failure has repercussions,” Tunji-Ojo said.

According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the contracts are a roadmap for the ministry’s vision.

“They set measurable targets that will reflect our impact on the nation’s security and well-being. Through these agreements, we are not only signing our names but committing to tangible results,” she said.

She charged participants to utilise the retreat as a forum to innovate, strategise and set realistic, achievable and timely key performance indicators.

“Our targets must not only be ambitious, but also grounded in the realities of our current security landscape.

“It is by aligning our goals and pooling our strengths that we can unlock our full potential and transform the vision of a secured Nigeria into reality,” Ajani said.