President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Nwakuche Sylvester Ndidi as Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), following the retirement of Haliru Nababa from the service. Haliru Nababa served as Comptroller General for three years and seven months. He was appointed as Comptroller General by former President Muhammadu Buhari and his tenure would end on 15th of December. Haliru was pulled out of the Service in a colourful ceremony on Friday. According to a statement signed by Ahmed Ja’afaru, the Secretary of the Board of Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services, the appointment of Mr Nwakuche Ndidi takes effect from 15th December, 2024. Nwakuche, born on 26th November, 1966, hails from Oguta in Imo State. Until his appointment, he was the Deputy Controller-General in charge of Training and Staff Development Directorate. He is a fellow of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic, MFR. Meanwhile the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has lauded the retiring Controller General, Nababa for his “visionary leadership, and a steadfast commitment to the transformative ideals of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOS).” Tunji Ojo who described Nababa tenure as exceptional at the pulling out parade said his stewardship witnessed significant “strides in advancing its core mandate of reforming, rehabilitating and reintegrating inmates into the society in line with our government’s vision to ensure public safety while upholding the principles of justice.” The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, commended Nababa on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and wished him a fulfilling and joyful retirement. Nababa who in his valedictory address listed some of his achievements, commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister for the opportunity given him to serve the nation. He said:” The journey which began in the year 1990 when I enlisted into the then Nigerian Prisons Service, climaxed in the year 2021, on the 10th of May to be precise when I was appointed the Controller-General of the NCoS. “Now, with profound gratitude to God Almighty, the journey has finally come to a happy end. It has been quite a memorable experience for me and from inception, I knew that the responsibilities thrust on my shoulders were huge. “Therefore, I adopted an all-inclusive management approach, constructively engaging relevant stakeholders either to build on the legacies of past leaders or design new strategies to address emerging challenges. “I must say that the support and cooperation I received from my management team and field officers remained unwavering and qualitative. Thus, the Service was not only able to weather storms but significantly made progress in many fronts such as security, logistics, healthcare services, capacity building for staff, inmates’ welfare and training, staff promotion and a host of others.”
