Says 80% are awaiting trial
….promise to eradicate the long process and delay in issuance of international passport within and outside the country.
..ministry making effort to harmonize national digital base among institutions like banks etc
By Tunde Abatan
Minister of Interior,Honourable Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, has bemoaned the overcrowding of correctional centres with over 80,000 inmates in the country.
He said more than eighty percent of the inmates are awaiting trial .
Speaking in a live Television Continental interview,Journalists Hangout yesterday ,he said that his ministry is seriously working to broaden the scope of non custodial centres in the country as done in other countries world wide.
He said that to achieve this, his ministry will enlist the partnership of the Ministry of Justice and other agencies and also work on the Amendment of the Correctional Services Act to broaden the scope of Custodial and non custodial correctional system in the country.
In answer to a question, he bemoaned the long process in the issuance and reissuance of passports in the country adding that rather than opening more offices,his ministry will deploy more efficient technology to increase the efficiency in the processing of passports in all it’s offices.
Towards this end,he said the ministry will engage it’s service providers to improve on their service delivery process for more efficiency.
He also disclosed that efforts are on to start the production of passport booklet to reduce the foreign exchange being spent on printing outside the country.
Speaking further,he said the problem in the issuance of passport to Nigerians in the Diaspora is also a function of the prevalent system in the country adding that efforts are being made to reorientate immigration officers on the need to project the image of Nigeria well as they are the gateway and first point of contact to outsiders especially to encourage foreign direct investors.
“Things cannot continue the way they are and we are making efforts to show officers not ready to comply with the change in work attitude the way out while hardworking ones will be rewarded.
On the synchronisation of the data base of all the government agencies,he said that with the inclusion of the National Identity Management Commission,NIMC among the agencies in the interior ministry efforts are being made to harmonize the digital data base of Nigerians among all relevant institutions to reduce hardship.
Said he,”we are making efforts to harmonize the data base among all institutions like banks in the country.
He also promised to better equip the Nigeria Civil Defence Service,NSDC to ensure more efficiency in the protection of oil pipelines towards reducing theft in the system and boost the nations foreign exchange.
Honour Tunji -Ojo commended the efforts of the Federal Fire Service in the country and promised that more fire fighting vehicles and equipments will be procured for more efficient and effective service delivery.
