By Ibironke Ariyo
The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has trained and rehabilitated no fewer than 3,030 inmates on various skills across the 256 custodial centres in Nigeria between July and December 2024.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a press conference and interactive session with officials of the six agencies of the ministry.
Tunji-Ojo said the inmates acquired skills in carpentry, tailoring, poultry farming, hairdressing and fishing, among others.
He also said that 50 other inmates are pursuing various academic programmes at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
“Prisons today are places of hope and transformation. The aim is to ensure that when people go there, it is not the end of their lives, but that they can learn.
“People can go there and attend schools, get certificates or learn practical skills.
“So that when they come out of prison they can be useful to themselves and not see crime as their only chance of survival.
“Currently, more than 50 inmates in our prison units are taking various academic courses at the NOUN special study centres in our prison unit.
“Let me give you an example. “I think there is a boy in one of our centres who wrote about five books during his stay in the prison.”
The Minister said that the Kuje Custodial Centre’s e-library is a useful resource for inmates to gain knowledge.
“This government is providing this platform to ensure that people who go in there come out better than before,” he said.
The minister also said that between January and December 2024, more than 5,000 offenders will have served multiple prison terms.
“The difference between the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) is that the prison is just a place of detention.
“While the prison is a place of recovery, a place of transformation and a place of hope.
“It is a place where you give people something, you train them, you make them better so that when they come out they can contribute value, and that is impossible if you do not rehabilitate them.”
Tunji-Ojo also announced that the federal government has approved a 50 per cent increase in the daily food ration for prisoners.
“This shows President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of prisoners and ensuring that the funds allocated yield good results,” he said.
The Minister also announced that the NCoS has trained 4,996 police officers between July and December 2024, with 2,053 of them currently undergoing training.
“It is unfair to expect optimal performance from public servants without equipping them with the right skills,” he noted.
Tunji-Ojo also highlighted the integration of prisoners’ biometric data through a collaboration between the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
“This initiative aims to connect all prisoners to the national database and thereby enhance national security.
“No prisoner will be left unregistered. “This link is crucial for tracking and monitoring,” he explained.
