March 21, 2022

The Nigerian Correctional Service says it is promoting made-in-Nigeria goods, produced by inmates in Lagos State to boost their income.

Chief Superintendent Rotimi Oladokun, the Service Public Relations Officer, Lagos command, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

Oladokun spoke on the sidelines of the third anniversary of Headfort Foundation in Lagos.

According to him, inmates undergo formal and informal trainings to enable them integrate properly into the society when they regain their freedom.

“This is where they make money to support their families and defendants outside.

“We have vocational skills where inmates learn tailoring, carpentry and masonry

“The uniform I am wearing was sown by an inmate for a fee because they earn income too.

“We also have over 800 inmates undergoing undergraduate studies, few are studying for PhD, some studying for Masters Degree Programmes and many others WAEC and JAMB,” he said.

The spokesperson said that the service created the waste to wealth initiatives for inmates to recycle waste and make money.

He said that inmates were also taught how to produce paints, adding that the centre could boast of an industry where its products are used locally to promote the country’s image.

He, however, congratulated Headfort Foundation for the Pro Bono services offered to indigent inmates which led to the release of over 150 of them.

On decongestion, Oladokun said that a multifaceted approach is being deployed to effect the change in the centre.

“From the correctional service, we are pushing for the non-custodial aspect where inmates do not necessarily have to come into the centre. You can give them community service.

“You can give parole, probation, restorative justice and other measures to prevent them from even coming in, in the first place,” he said.

The spokesperson added that the service had very good relationship with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. (NAN)