The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has proposed N14.83 billion in its 2026 budget to provide meals for roughly 91,100 inmates across the country, as custodial facilities face growing strain, largely due to the high number of awaiting trial prisoners.
Controller-General Sylvester Nwakuche disclosed this while presenting the Service’s 2025 budget performance and 2026 estimates before the House Committee on Reformatory Institutions in Abuja. The feeding allocation is calculated at N1,125 per inmate daily and is part of a proposed N50.40 billion recurrent overhead expenditure for 2026. He noted that awaiting trial inmates currently account for 64 per cent of the total prison population.
As of February 9, 2026, Nigeria had 80,812 inmates, including 51,955 awaiting trial, 24,913 convicted, and 3,850 in other detention categories. Nwakuche emphasised that providing adequate nutrition aligns with United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders, describing feeding as essential yet resource-intensive.
Reviewing 2025, the Service received N184.63 billion, of which N27.28 billion, or 71.7 per cent of released overhead funds, was spent on inmate feeding. Outstanding liabilities for food rations stood at N10.75 billion. Recurrent overhead releases for 2025 were 73.7 per cent, with the final tranche for October released in December. Personnel costs totalled N124.31 billion, with N112.68 billion fully utilised for salaries, pensions, and health insurance under IPPIS. Operational expenses were N6.49 billion, covering staff training, vehicle fuel for court duties, electricity, security, and facility maintenance. Capital expenditure saw the lowest implementation, with only N3.22 billion of N14.50 billion appropriated released, leaving N11.27 billion unreleased for projects such as constructing and rehabilitating custodial centres, procuring vehicles and security equipment, deploying ICT systems, capturing inmate biometrics, and supporting prison farms.
For 2026, Nwakuche presented a total budget proposal of N198.85 billion, covering personnel, feeding, overheads, operations, and capital projects. N138.30 billion is earmarked for personnel for 37,541 staff under four salary structures. He requested an additional N90.38 billion to raise total capital funding to N100.50 billion to address infrastructure deficits and capacity gaps. A separate N37.99 billion was proposed for non-custodial measures across 774 local government areas.
House Committee Chairman Hon. Chinedu Ogah called for urgent reforms, highlighting chronic underfunding, ageing facilities, and rising operational demands such as feeding. He stressed that many custodial centres are over a century old and deteriorating. Ogah urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill, which would allow states to establish correctional centres and reduce pressure on federal facilities. He also noted efforts to expand inmate education, including ten National Open University study centres within prisons, such as the one at Abakaliki Correctional Centre providing free programmes.
Ogah commended correctional officers for sustaining operations under difficult conditions and assured that the committee would complete deliberations on the 2026 budget after reviewing the Service’s submissions.
