Over 75,000 inmates in the various correctional centres across the country may go hungry as vendors supplying food items to the facilities may stop supplies to the facilities over N5.6 billion debts owed them by the federal government.
This has raised the fear of starvation and malnutrition in the nation’s correctional centres.
The development has made a group, the Alliance for Good Governance, AGG, call on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to avert what it described as “an avoidable humanitarian and economic disaster.”
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In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Chris Sanwo, and Secretary, Jude Nwokolo, AGG warned that the backlog of unpaid dues – dating as far back as October 2023 – has left many contractors unable to sustain supplies, forcing some to withdraw their services entirely.
“The nonpayment of contractors’ dues threatens to cripple the entire prison feeding system, putting the welfare of over 75,000 inmates at risk. Beyond the walls of the correctional centres, it has also plunged contractors and their employees into severe financial hardship, triggering job losses and worsening poverty,” the group lamented.
The AGG noted that the skyrocketing prices of staple food items such as beans, rice, and garri have compounded the crisis, making it nearly impossible for vendors to continue operations without payment.
Although the Federal Government, FG, recently raised the daily feeding allowance for inmates from ₦750 to ₦1,125 in a bid to improve nutrition, the group said the gesture has been undermined by the government’s failure to settle arrears for rations and gas that have been supplied.
According to AGG, some contractors have not been paid since August 2024, while arrears for October, November, and December 2023 remain outstanding.
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“This is not just about the inmates; it is about the survival of hundreds of businesses and the jobs they provide. The ripple effects on the wider economy are dangerous and could undermine investor confidence,” AGG warned.
