The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have each been offered N500 million by the Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative for Africa (ASR Africa) as security sector support grant for their social development programmes.
The services, in separate statements by their image makers, explained that the monetary award was in recognition of the many successes recorded by the agencies, both nationally and internationally.
The national spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, DCI Tony Akuneme, said that at a brief event at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, his boss, the comptroller-general of Immigration, Isah Idris, while receiving the award letter, commended the chairman, BUA Group, Alh Abdul Samad Rabiu, for the initiative and for recognising the strides of the service.
He restated the service’s commitment to Nigeria as well as to global security, assuring the delegation of ASR Africa that the grant would be effectively utilised.
While also presenting the N500 million cheque to the controller-general of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, at the service national headquarters Abuja, the managing director and chief executive officer of the initiative, Dr Ubong Udo said the organisation was set up as a vehicle to drive the chairman’s mission for Nigerian and Africa and to create a platform where Nigerians and Africans can take responsibility to solve their own developmental problems by looking inwards.
This initiative has three thematic areas which include health, education and social development. The NCoS, through her rehabilitation and reformation programme, falls under the third thematic area hence the grant.
The CGC applauded the initiative and promised to make judicious use of the grant as an intervention to improve on the security of custodial centres by adding another layer of technological surveillance that would enhance the remote monitoring frameworks.
The CGC also said that the grant would provide the service with equipment in ensuring that the security solutions cover a wider range of custodial centres and reduce the chances of further attacks. He added that it would also help in capacity building as more personnel would be trained on how to effectively utilise the IT solutions in driving the service forward and boost the morale of staff.
