The internally developed curriculum is expected to strengthen institutional ownership and preserve professional knowledge within the service
By Moses Okorie
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has unveiled its first Unified Training Manual and standardised professional course badges for its training institutions across the country.
The NCoS Public Relations Officer, CSC Jane Osuji, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
Osuji said the initiative was aimed at promoting uniformity, professionalism and contemporary capacity development across the service’s training institutions.
The Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, described the initiative as a landmark achievement that would strengthen professionalism, institutional identity and consistency in personnel training.
Nwakuche commended members of the manual review committee and other personnel who contributed to the development of the new training manual and course badges.
He said the new manual replaced the 2019 edition and had been reviewed to reflect contemporary correctional practices, emerging security challenges and evolving professional requirements.
According to him, the manual provides a unified framework for training personnel across various cadres, disciplines and specialised areas of the service.
He said it covered command courses, commissioned officers’ courses, basic recruit and Chief Corrections Assistants courses, as well as specialised and refresher programmes.
The Controller-General said the manual was developed internally by NCoS personnel, representing a shift from the previous practice of relying substantially on external bodies for training materials.
“The internally developed curriculum is expected to strengthen institutional ownership and preserve professional knowledge within the service,” he said.
Nwakuche, who was decorated with one of the newly unveiled course badges, described the badges as symbols of professional identity and accomplishment.
He urged officers to uphold the discipline, values and professional excellence represented by the badges.
According to him, the initiative formed part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening institutional capacity, promoting training excellence and developing a modern correctional workforce.
The Controller-General also decorated Deputy Controllers-General with the Advanced Command Course Badge in recognition of their professional advancement.
Speaking on the initiative, the Deputy Controller-General in charge of Training and Staff Development, DCG Olanrewaju Amoran, said the manual was designed to provide a single, contemporary training resource for the service.
Amoran said the development process drew on the expertise of experienced personnel across relevant professional fields to ensure that its contents reflected institutional experience and operational realities.
He said the manual would serve as a common reference for instructors and trainees, promote consistency in course delivery and enhance professional training across NCoS institutions.
The DCG added that the initiative would strengthen continuous professional development by providing standardised learning materials throughout officers’ career progression.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Manual Review Committee and Deputy Controller-General in charge of the Human Resources Directorate, DCG Ado Sale, said the course badges represented professional distinctions earned through prescribed training.
Sale stressed that the badges were not ceremonial accessories or items for sale in open markets, but were formally conferred by commandants of NCoS training institutions.
The ceremony featured the presentation of an Award of Excellence to Nwakuche by the review committee in recognition of his leadership and support for the initiative.
The Controller-General also presented plaques and certificates of recognition to members of the committee for their contributions to the development of the curriculum and training manuals.