The Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS) said that it spent N697, 353, 617 to cater for the welfare of serving, retired and deceased personnel under the Correctional Welfare Insurance Scheme, (CWIS).
Controller General of the Service, Haliru Nababa, explained that the CWIS is a staff contributory scheme of the service aimed at providing succour to personnel during accidents in the course of the discharge of their duty, during retirement or in the event of death while in active service among others.
Speaking at the 17th anniversary workshop of the scheme themed ‘Making Retirement a Happy Experience’ yesterday in Abuja, Nababa said “We attach a lot of importance to this annual CWIS workshop for obvious reasons.
According to him, between January to December 2022, the scheme paid 242 death claims to the tune of three hundred and thirty million, five hundred and twenty-Two Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty-eight naira (₦330, 522, 488:00) while medical claims worth eighty-six million, one hundred and thirteen thousand, eight hundred and ninety naira (₦86, 113, 890:00), was spent for those who sustained various degrees of injuries in the line of duty.
Also, another 304 beneficiaries got retirement claims totalling two hundred and eighty million, seven hundred and seven thousand, two hundred and thirty-nine naira (₦280,707,239:00), Nababa explained.
“First and foremost, the welfare of our serving, retired and deceased personnel alongside members of their families remains paramount in our policy thrust.”
He said the workshop offers the Service a unique yearly opportunity of taking stock of of the operations of the scheme and evolving new ideas as well as strategies that will make it better and in tune with current economic realities.
While encouraging personnel to raise the contributory contribution subscription across all cadre for greater benefit, immediate past and first substantive controller general of the agency, Ja’afaru Ahmed, said the CWIS always comes in handy during retirement and other emergencies, offering succour in the time of need.
“This contributory welfare scheme is a deduction from our various salaries and because we are on various grade levels, our subscription to the scheme is not the same but by rank and grade levels.
“We are contributing very small and at the end of our service period, death, withdrawal of service or resignation, we received what we have contributed plus a percentage so it is important for people to realise that the more they same, they will receive a good sum at the end of their service,” he said.
Also speaking, Principal Staff Officer, (PSO), to the CG, Deputy Controller General, (DCG), Salisu Mamman, who received an award of excellence alongside his boss, Nababa, and the immediate past controller general, Ahmed, notes that the welfare scheme serves to encourage and motivate personnel in their various duties.
On the reason for being given an award of excellence, he said “wherever you find yourself, try to set good example and teach the younger ones because the Service is a continuum and one of the qualities of a good leader is for you to mentor and groom others to take over in the future.”
