The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said that correctional centres in Nigeria must function as institutions of rehabilitation and reformation rather than places of condemnation.
Tunji-Ojo made the remark on Saturday during the signing of performance bonds with agencies under the Ministry of Interior in Niger State.
He noted that reforms in the Nigeria Correctional Service were yielding results, stressing the need to sustain the momentum.
‘Correctional Service is becoming transformational, it’s becoming rehabilitatory, and, of course, it’s becoming reformatory, and that’s what I want to see.
‘I don’t want our correctional centres to be places of condemnation. And you are the chief correctional officer of the country. From where you picked up to where you are, within this short time, you’ve done a lot, but please, as I always say, when you need to concentrate the most is when you are doing well’, the minister said.
The minister urged the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to sustain ongoing changes and ensure that the institution reflects its name in practice.
Tunji-Ojo, who also assessed other agencies under his ministry, said the government was committed to building strong institutions that could thrive beyond any individual.
‘My dream is to build a ministry to the glory of God that will be able to do well even without me, and that is what we call institution—build institutions. We don’t want a ministry that will be built around a strong person’, he added.
He commended the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for its role in protecting critical national assets and charged the Federal Fire Service to prepare for reforms that would make it a custodian of emergency medical and rescue services.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo also charged agencies under his ministry to strive for 100 per cent delivery on their mandates, stressing that Nigerians must feel the impact of government through effective service delivery.
He noted that the ministry had moved from 62 per cent performance at its last retreat to 85 per cent, but insisted that the target must now be total achievement.
‘What we want to do is to cascade such that what you see in the ministry in terms of excellence is what you will see in Civil Defence, in Immigration Service, in Correctional Service, or Fire Service’, he said.
‘As I said to you, we are agents of perfection and let us deliver. Let Nigerians feel our impact. Let’s continue to make people smile. We cannot stop at 85 per cent. The goal is 100 per cent’.
