By Ibironke Ariyo
The Controller-General, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, has charged personnel of the service to leverage on insurance for a sustainable post service experience.
Nwakuche gave the charge on Wednesday in Abuja, in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Correctional Welfare Insurance Scheme (CWIS) workshop.
He described insurance as a game-changing strategy for sustainable retirement and long-term welfare.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop is themed: “Leveraging on Insurance as a Game-Changing Strategy for Sustainable Retirement: The Correctional Welfare Insurance Scheme Experience”.
While welcoming CWIS desk officers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the CG said their participation had demonstrated a collective commitment to strengthening staff welfare within the service.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, for his sustained support for the welfare and security of personnel of the service.
He noted that the administration’s commitment to institutional reforms and staff welfare had created an enabling environment for programmes such as CWIS to thrive.
According to him, the CWIS aligns with the President’s broader vision of strengthening public service delivery through improved human capital development and social protection mechanisms.
Nwakuche also commended the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for his steadfast support and policy guidance in advancing the welfare agenda of the service.
He said the minister’s continuous engagement and oversight had helped sustain and strengthen CWIS as a vital pillar of staff welfare, ensuring that welfare programmes remained responsive to the realities faced by officers in service and in retirement.
Speaking on the strategic importance of insurance, the Controller-General said figures from the scheme clearly demonstrated why insurance had become a critical tool for sustainable retirement planning.
“These figures are not presented for applause; but as evidence that insurance, when properly structured and responsibly managed, can transform staff welfare and secure sustainable retirement,” he said.
He explained that through relatively modest monthly contributions, officers had been able to access benefits that would have been impossible to accumulate individually within the same timeframe.
He said this highlighted the power of risk pooling, professional management and institutional discipline.
Nwakuche noted that traditional post-service welfare models were increasingly inadequate due to rising healthcare costs, economic uncertainties and increasing life expectancy.
He said that CWIS, therefore, offered guaranteed protection against life’s uncertainties, a disciplined savings culture and leveraged benefits that multiplied individual contributions.
He also cautioned against complacency, saying that evolving economic realities and post-retirement vulnerabilities required continuous strengthening of the CWIS framework.
“Sustainability is not guaranteed by past performance alone; it is secured through continuous review, transparency and institutional discipline,” he said.
The CG, however, proffered advice on how to ensure the financial viability of CWIS as more officers retire and how to expand coverage to meet emerging needs as well as leverage technology to improve service delivery and transparency.
He said that the workshop provided a platform for reflection and reform, adding that resource persons would share insights on contemporary insurance practices, risk management, investment strategies and regulatory compliance.
Nwakuche urged participants to interrogate existing practices, share field experiences and engage meaningfully with technical papers, with discussions focused on improving claims management, deepening awareness among staff and strengthening accountability mechanisms.
He emphasised that sustainable retirement began long before an officer exits service, noting that weaknesses ignored during active service often become crises after retirement.
The Controller-General also underscored the importance of trust, describing CWIS desk officers as custodians of confidence between the service and its personnel.
“You are not merely record keepers; you are the critical link between the scheme and our personnel across the country.
“Your professionalism, integrity, responsiveness and ability to communicate the benefits of CWIS ultimately determine the success of this programme,” he said.
Nwakuche urged desk officers to return to their commands with the success stories of 2025 to inspire confidence in the scheme among officers and men.
He said the workshop was not merely about insurance policies and financial instruments, but about the welfare of officers, the security of their families and the dignity of their retirement.
“May this workshop deepen our commitment to ensuring that every officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service can look forward to a secure and dignified retirement,” he said.
In her opening remarks, CWIS Secretary, Hannatu Mamman, said that the anniversary workshop was not merely ceremonial but designed to chart a new course for enhanced impact and empowerment.
The secretary said the seminar would focus on practical strategies, including cooperative society empowerment, skill acquisition pathways, investment literacy, financial health planning and innovative income diversification.
She explained that the initiatives were aimed at ensuring that officers remained financially secured and empowered even after their years of active service.
She expressed appreciation to the Controller General of Corrections, for what she described as transformational leadership and unwavering support for personnel welfare initiatives.
“Under his watch, we are not just maintaining a scheme; we are building a movement toward officers’ empowerment, financial literacy and holistic well-being,” she said.
Mamman pledged that the CWIS Secretariat, desk officers and stakeholders would remain committed to integrity, transparency, innovation and excellence in the administration of the scheme.
“We will continue to evolve, upscale our services and ensure that CWIS remains a dependable fortress of support for every correctional officer and their family,” she assured.
NAN reports that the NCoS spent N1.43 billion on the welfare of 1,334 serving, retired, and deceased personnel in 2025. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deborah Coker
