150 New Health Workers Headed To Nigerian Prisons As Tinubu Approves Bold Medical Intervention

In his first two years in office, President Bola Tinubu approved the recruitment of 50 doctors, 100 nurses, and the deployment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) doctors to correctional centres across Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday. He revealed that many custodial facilities in the country are outdated, with some dating back over a century.

According to him, several centres previously had no resident doctors until Tinubu’s intervention. Currently, at least 12 of Nigeria’s 246 custodial centres are undergoing rehabilitation.

“Mr. President didn’t assume office 100 years ago. All 246 correctional centres predate this administration. For instance, the Ikoyi facility was built in 1956, while the Suleja centre—where a jailbreak occurred—was established in 1914.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen notable progress, including surgeries conducted at the Kuje facility and improvements at the Port Harcourt prison. Beyond infrastructure, the President approved the hiring of 50 doctors, 100 nurses, and the posting of NYSC doctors to these centres,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He further noted that the government is strengthening security through enhanced intelligence gathering, in collaboration with other agencies, to protect correctional facilities.

“We can’t overhaul all 246 locations within two years, but we’ve made significant strides. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re far ahead of where we were,” he added.