DiamondHeart Initiatives Proposes Two-Year Extension for NCoS Chief

DiamondHeart Initiatives has formally requested that the relevant authorities extend the tenure of Sylvester Nwakuche, the controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), by two years, ahead of his scheduled end on November 27, 2026. Comrade Ikechukwu Norbert, the executive director of DiamondHeart Initiatives, stated that the extension is intended to provide continuity for critical reforms in the correctional service, particularly in areas such as parole, non-custodial corrections, rehabilitation, reintegration, correctional agriculture, vocational development, and staff welfare.

Norbert emphasized that the focus is on the continuity of reform rather than for any individual. He cited the release of 10 parolees in Abia State in June 2026 and the access to over 12,263 hectares of arable land for correctional agriculture as developments needing consolidation.

The organization called for a lawful mechanism for the proposed extension, which should be time-bound and subject to performance objectives. They also commended the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and President Bola Tinubu for their contributions to the correctional sector.