The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved a new uniform for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).

This development (change of uniform) was made known by the its Comptroller General (CG), Ja’afaru Ahmed, at the inauguration of the administrative block of the Correctional Staff School (CSS), on Thursday, in Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on August 8 signed into law the Correctional Service Act 2019, which repealed the Prisons Act 2018 and changed the Nigeria Prison Service to Nigeria Correctional Service.

Mr Ahmed said the step taken (change of uniform) was part of the new act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Very soon, you will see us in our new uniform. We have been wearing this uniform for over 100 years and we need to change it to be in tune with the new act.”

Mr Ahmed said that there were other innovations in the new act such as staff education, health, housing adding that the welfare of the officers and men of the service was paramount.

“We are also putting into place measures to ensure the full implementation of the new act but there has not been any budget yet, once the budget is in place, we will be able to implement the measures we have put in place to have a better service,” he said.

He added that, aside gauranteeing that staff salaries were paid at due time, “the service was also making frantic efforts to provide appropriate accommodation for them all over the country.”

“We are also mindful of those taking care of the inmates because while we are thinking of providing accommodation and welfare for inmates, we are also committed to give the staff decent accommodation and education opportunity and provide their basic needs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the President, Prisons Officers Wives Association (PROWA), Gwamma Ahmed, in her welcome remarks, said that the association had established staff schools in some parts of the country apart from the school at the headquarters in Abuja.