Haliru Nababa, mni, assumed office as the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service on May 10, 2021, he came with tremendous zeal and commitments to bring holistic reform to the service in line with the cardinal objectives of government. And his enviable record in the service as well as his outstanding academic reputation put him on a higher ground, well prepared for the big tasks he was saddled with,
The cardinal objectives of many government ministries, departments, agencies and other parastatals is to provide the most needed services as it’s being enshrined in the Nigerian constitution and other relevant civil service rules and regulations as obtainable. There are certain peculiarities and exceptionalities in operation within various organizations which is equally centered on achieving the desired and set objectives.
While some may find it easy and fun handling their designated task, to some it wasn’t that easy because it involves sacrifices, courage and risk taking to execute their assignments and render the needed services beyond office comports. The Nigerian military, police, security and civil defence corps, state security service and other sister security agencies were the notable organizations where sacrifices has to be made for the general well-being and peaceful coexistence of the Nigerian nation. But there are silent organizations that have been putting in their best to bring succor, relieve and hope to Nigerians amidst despondency and despair; Nigerian Correctional Service is without doubt fall into this category.
The Nigerian Correctional Services and its ever resilient, pertinacious and dogged Comptroller-General, Nababa whom ever since he assumed the leadership of the organization, he has restlessly transverse all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to further acquaint himself with the state of facilities of correctional centres in different states across the country. On resumption of office in May 2021, the CGC embarked on a familiarization tour of the country to assess the state of infrastructures and facilities. This was in keeping with his commitment to provide safe and secure custodial centres where inmates are treated in line with global standards. He went round the states despite the security challenges rising from the perceived ambush attacks by the militants.
On August 6, 2021, the CGC, in an inaugural meeting with the command officers , outlined his agenda centred on comprehensive reform of the correctional service, including safe custody of inmates, training, staff and inmates welfare, capacity-building for staff, staff discipline and effective implementation of non-custodial measures. He used the opportunity of that meeting to share his vision and policy direction with his staff.
The Correctional Services, under the visionary leadership of Nababa has spared no effort in moving the service forward and tackling jail emergencies wherever and whenever they occur and through painstaking and meticulous management of the lean resources by formulating way to ensure that the limited resource at his disposal are well utilized for the benefit and welfare of staff his staff and also the well-being of the prisoners under his agency’s care. Whenever those jailbreaks occur, Nababa is the first person to be called to action.
As a demonstration of his commitment to promotion of staff welfare, the CGC, shortly on assumption of office, initiated the promotion of 2,455 junior staff and also facilitated the release of promotion of 3,477 senior officers through the Civil Defence, Correctional Service, Fire and Immigration Service Board. This was to motivate the staff to work assiduously towards achieving his set goals.
In addition, he vigorously embarked on providing conducive office accommodation at various state command headquarters to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of staff. Among the states that have benefitted from the new offices is Osun, which was launched on July 23, 2021.
In keeping with the concept of a correctional service tailored towards reforming and rehabilitating inmates so that they could be re-integrated into the larger society, the CGC has initiated various programmes aimed at giving lifelines to former inmates to enable them engage in meaningful enterprises. This involves giving out starter packs and other incentives to inmates that acquire skills while in custody; indeed, one of the cardinal objectives of the Nababa-led administration is to provide opportunities for inmates to acquire necessary skills that will make them relevant in society. Many of the inmates have taken advantage of this unique opportunity to improve themselves while serving their term in the custody. For instance, there are several of them who have acquired various academic qualifications, including doctor of philosophy (PhD). This is made possible by the conducive and friendly environment provided by the new administration, as well as the encouragement given to the inmates to embark on any career of their choice.
Equally laudable is the agricultural policy of the administration, which is geared towards ensuring adequate food production not only to satisfy the food need of the staff and inmates, but also the entire nation. While flagging off the 2021 cowpea production on August 5, the CGC reiterated the commitment of his administration in food production. During the ceremony, he distributed 12 tractors to 10 farms across the country. The tractors are meant for the training of inmates in mechanized farming. He followed this up with a visit to Dukpa farm centre in Gwagwalada Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where he called on the inmates to take advantage of the opportunity they have, while serving in correctional custody, to inprove their skills in modern food production.
Farming remains a key component in the correctional service administration. The Nigerian Correctional Service has 17 mechanized farm centres across the country; apart from being used to train inmates in modern food production, they are also to serve as source of food supply to feed the inmates. However, the farms were not being fully utilized until the present administration decided to give top priority to food production, which has seen the gradual resuscitation of the farms. The vision of the administration is to become self-sufficient in food production, thereby reducing the huge cost the Federal Government is spending on feeding the inmates.
Similarly, in line with the new welfare policy of the administration, much emphasis has been given to providing quality healthcare system in the correctional centres across the country. This has resulted in accelerated provision of healthcare needs of the inmates. It is instructive to note that the correctional centres have not experienced any major outbreak of diseases in recent times, unlike in the past. Equally commendable is the fact that there has been no record of COVID-19 incident in any of the correctional centres since the outbreak of the dreaded discase. This can only be attributed to various measures put in place by the administration to safeguard the health of the staff and inmates. In addition, the administration is interfacing with various orgnisations towards improving the general condition of the correctional centres, especially as it relates to the welfare of the vulnerable, juveniles and female inmates.
Also arising from incessant jailbreaks as a result of the porous and weak structure in the correctional centres, the CGC has introduced various measures that would curb this ugly trend, which has become a major embarrassment to the country. Indeed, securing the life of the staff and inmates, as well as the facilities, has been given top priority by the administration.
Recently Nababa said measures put in place to prevent attacks on correctional centres across the country have been yielding results. According to him, this is the major reason the correctional centres have not been attacked recently. He, however, clarified that the country had yet to experience jailbreaks, saying that there had only been attacks on correctional centres.
“I would like to make this correction that we don’t have jailbreaks in the country, what we had were jail attacks. When we say jailbreak, we mean an uprising in the correctional centre but recently what we have had were attacks from outside; these are called jail attacks.
Who is Haliru Nababa? He hails from Sokoto State, was born on 15th December, 1964. Nababa had his First School Leaving Certificate from the Demonstration Primary School, Sokoto in 1975. He attended Government Secondary School Tangaza where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 1980 and then proceeded to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto where he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor degree in History. In 1996, he obtained a Diploma in Criminology from the Same University.
He joined the Nigerian Prisons Service, as it then was called, on 13th August, 1990 as an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons. He rose through the ranks and was promoted to the Rank of Assistant Controller General of Corrections on 01 January, 2018. On 26th August, 2020 he was appointed as Deputy Controller General of Corrections Covering Duties in the Directorate of Finance and Accounts.
Career Courses Attended
The senior officer attended the following statutory courses in the Service: Assistant Superintendent Basic Course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Citizens & Leadership Training, Shere Hills, Jos, Plateau State; 3rd Chief Superintendent course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Command Course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Advance Command Course, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State; He underwent a Senior Executive Course 41, 2019, at the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.
Haliru has headed many formations in the course of his career between 2016 and 2019, amongst which are: Officer in Charge, Wurno Satellite Custodial Centre, Sokoto State, Nguru Custodial Centre, Yobe State; Mubi Custodial Centre, Adamawa State, and Sokoto Central Custodial Centre, Sokoto State. He has also served as a Command Controller in Kebbi and Sokoto States.
Until his appointment to head the Service, he was covering duties as the Head of the Directorate of Finance and Account.
In the past one year in office , Haliru Nababa as the Controller General of Nigerian Correctional Service has witnessed a breathtaking flurry of activities, which are geared towards the transformation of correctional service in the country. Though it is still too early to draw conclusions on the performance of the CGC, there are clear indications that the present administration is committed to giving a new face to Nigerian Correctional Service. Given the reputation of the CGC as an astute and tested administrator, with an impeachable record in service, he has all it takes to achieve this lofty vision for the service, but he needs the support of government, especially in the area of funding, which is key to achieving his target of building a correctional service that truly transforms inmates for the better.
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