Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N3.5 billion for the purchase of 320 vehicles for the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS).
The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahaman Dambazau , made this known while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dambazau stated that the vehicles will be procured from Nigerian automobile companies to boost employment opportunities in the country in line with the present government’s policy.
“In our efforts to strengthen the Criminal Justice System and to contribute towards decongesting the prison system, we presented a memo for the procurement of 320 operational vehicles for the prison service at the cost of N3.5 billion.
“This procurement will be from local manufacturers, assemblers and vendors within Nigeria, and the effort is to follow through government’s policy to ensure that most of the procurement for equipment and vehicles are done locally.
“That will also provide opportunity for job creation and things like that.’’
The minister said the ministry was exploring the best way to improve the movement of the inmates to court so that their chances of getting justice would not be jeopardised.
According to him, many prisoners remain in prison longer than necessary due to lack of operational vehicles that should convey them to the courts.
Dambazau said that there are about 65,000 prisoners in various prisons across the country with more than 70 per cent of them awaiting trial.
In his contribution, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said the council approved the purchase of three 150 MVA transformers for power substations at Shiroro, Oshogbo and Kumbotso in Niger, Osun, and Kano states respectively.
He said the equipment, when installed, would enhance the evacuation of generated power by the Transmission Company of Nigeria. (NAN)
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