Iheanacho unfolds plans to overhaul Interior Ministry

THE Federal Government has put measures in place to make the Interior Ministry more efficient. One of these is the provision of at least two fire-fighting equipment in each of the 774 local councils in the country. Also, to monitor inmates adequately, electronic equipment are to be installed in prisons.Fielding questions from The Guardian at the weekend in his country-home, Awaka, Owerri-North Local Council in Imo State, the Minister of Interior, Capt. Emma Iheanacho, noted that machinery had been put in place to ensure that the above plans and programmes were actualised.He said: We have a number of programmes in the offing. My own aspiration is to engineer a system where at least within each local council, you have a standard fire-fighting station served by two fire-fighting trucks, a water borehole so that all the problems we hear about fire and fire consuming human beings and materials become things of the past.Iheanacho disclosed that plans were also being made to ensure international financing to develop prototype fire-fighting stations, invest in fire-fighting engines; invest in water truck and in emergency generating equipment. We want to spread this to all 774 local council areas.According to the minister, he would engineer changes in the criminal justice of law system in the country to ensure that the problem of inmates who continue to be on the awaiting trial list for over 10 years is addressed.  He said the ministry was investing to handle the issue of dilapidating infrastructure in the prisons, including the overhaul of the management system.He noted: We hope to see that we engineer changes in the criminal justice of law so that a large number of people who continue to await trial for so many years, will be a thing of the past.We have plans to overhaul the management system and the physical infrastructure of the prisons. We also hope to overhaul the management to e- management and recognise prisons and control inmates. We also hope to get substantial investment in rehabilitating the dilapidated infrastructure that characterises the prisons system.
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