The Federal Government has approved the recruitment of 50 doctors and 100 nurses to work in hospitals across Nigeria’s correctional centres. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the approval was granted by President Bola Tinubu to improve healthcare services for inmates.

Tunji-Ojo explained that some correctional facilities currently lack adequate medical personnel, noting that a correctional centre in Rivers State operates without a medical doctor. He stressed that the new recruitment will help strengthen medical care in the centres.

The minister also revealed that some correctional hospitals, including the facility in Kuje Correctional Centre, already have equipment capable of handling major surgeries. According to him, the president is committed to ensuring the welfare of all Nigerians, including inmates.

He added that the government is also running skills training programmes for inmates and recently increased their feeding allowance by 50 percent, as part of broader reforms in the correctional system.