Alhaji Aminu Suley, mni, the recent appointment of a new acting Comptroller General of the Nigerian Prisons service is in line with the vision and mission of the Transformation Agenda of the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, and the appointment of Alhaji Aminu Suleh, mni, is a true confirmation of the statement, ‘putting square pegs in square holes’, this is because the appointment shows government’s commitment towards a true reformation of the Nigerian Prisons.
Over the years there have been cries from various sections of the country for a true and succinct reformation of the Nigerian prison with much having not been done in that regards and many analysts and public commentators have shared various opinions on the subject. While many place the problem of reforming the prisons on the doorstep of government, others have taken a closer and more critical look at the men who have occupied the seat of Controller General in recent times and have concluded that perhaps some of them haven’t lived up to the billing simply because they have lacked the capacity and grasp to take the Nigerian Prisons to enviable heights; an opinion which has led many to applaud the recent appointment of Alhaji Aminu Suleh, mni, as the new comptroller general of the Nigerian Prisons.
But who is Alhaji Aminu Suleh, mni? Perhaps a cursory look into his background can shed more light on the person of this man who is saddled with the responsibility of leading the Nigerian Prisons.
Alhaji Aminu Suley, mni was born in Azare in Katagun Local Government Area of Bauchi State on the 25th August, 1959.
He attended Day Primary School, Azare from 1967 to 1972, after which he proceeded to Government Secondary School, Misau for his Secondary Education which he completed in 1977. Aminu had his University education at the University of Jos from 1980 to 1983, from where he bagged his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. Before his degree programme he attended the Bauchi College of Arts and Science where he obtained his IJMB.
Alhaji Aminu joined the Nigerian prisons in 1989 as a chief superintendent of prisons and from then he rose through the ranks by dint of sheer hard work and perseverance which stood him out as a man of astounding qualities.
He was elevated in 2007 to the rank of Assistant Controller General of Prisons and on the 1st January 2008 he became Deputy Controller General.
In the course of his career in the Prisons Service he has served in various capacities at the Prisons National Headquarters, Abuja, which include, Controller of Prisons, in charge of Budget and Finance from April 2006 to January 2008; Deputy Controller General of Prisons in charge of Budget and Finance from January 2009 to December 2010 and Deputy Controller General of Prisons in charge of Works and Logistics from 2011 to July 2014, from where he became Comptroller General of Prisons (Covering Duties).
Alhaji Aminu Suley is renowned for some of the finest qualities deposited in a man. His disposition towards life gives him away as a very simple man who is also very religious. Those around him readily describe him as a man that despite his position still remains faithful to his spiritual life of being an Alfa, an Islamic scholar, who regularly gives spiritual guidance to those around him.
Indeed one other quality that best describes him is that, although not known to many, Alhaji Aminu Suley remained loyal and obedient to his predecessor in the services even though he was a more senior colleague in the services to the latter. An attribute rarely found among many men. His relationship with his subordinates is more of friendliness other than the slave master approach adopted by many others in his position.
The brief biography, is brief because Alhaji Aminu is a man of many parts, given a very clear indication of a man that has seen it all and been involved in many capacities in the Nigerian prisons, enough to give him edge over all else to lead this very important sector of government to its glory land. Alhaji Aminu Suley is a hand-on man.
The prisons services had all kinds of maladministration and corruption over the years and there is no gainsaying that only the appointment of a thoroughbred professional and experienced individual will be enough to right the wrongs in this very important sector. It is noteworthy that the various attempts made to update the Prisons Act of 1972 have failed beginning with the move by law makers under the Committee on Internal Affairs in 2001. The draft bill that came out of that effort could not be passed before the end of that legislative session. Despite the fact that the same bill was updated in 2005 and went for a second hearing, again it could not go through the whole legislative process.
A humane prison system calls for the establishment of an acceptable legal framework that will provide the platform for reform.
A lot has been said about issues of delayed justice in the guise of court adjournments and remands which has led in many parts to congestion of our prisons, and all efforts to decongest our prisons have been abortive till date. But opinions have it that the problem of Nigerian prisons is more of lack of know-how on the part of those who have been at the helms before now rather than anything else. Experts believe that the Nigerian prisons has been bedevilled by lack of quality leadership and personnel to effectively translate knowledge gathered over the years in the course of service and that the inability of many past leaders to bring to bear the years of training and retraining has caused the Prison Services more harm.
Therefore, Alhaji Aminu Suley has to hit the ground running and live up to expectation. There is no doubt that he is a qualified candidate to fill the position of comptroller General, and expectations are high that he will deliver because his achievements speak volume of the kind of leadership the Nigerian Prisons is getting. We can only wish him all the best on this new, but not insurmountable, challenge.

Nigerian Prison Service and the appointment of Suley Aminu