By Ibironke Ariyo
The Controller-General, Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr Haliru Nababa, has commended the 25 inmates that graduated from National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
The inmates participated in the 11th convocation of the University on March 26, following the successful completion of their degree courses while in incarceration.
This is contained in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Mr Francis Enobore, on Monday in Abuja.
Nababa said that the feat was significant in the life of the inmates, who were also provided opportunities to learn various skills in prison.
He stated that his administration places high premium on combining comprehensive education and vocational skills acquisition for inmates.
This, he said, was in recognition of the fact that ex-convicts, by their social status, often face stigmatisation which makes it difficult to get jobs when released from custody.
“To aid reintegration and socio-economic inclusiveness for ex-offenders therefore, emphasis is given to vocational trades as back-up to formal education, ” Nababa said.
The CG extolled the commitment of officers and men of the Service for their relentless effort in assisting inmates to discover their potentials and apply their talent and energy on resourceful ventures.
He said that this worthy cause was what the NCoS Act, 2019 represents and would be pursued with vigour.
He said that to maintain the policy direction, staff welfare would continue to be given the required attention within available resources.
Nababa, however, cautioned the staff to work within the ambit of the set rules of engagement with inmates and resist the temptation to be used to compromise discipline and good order in the Service.
He advised officers to shun acts that were inimical to the health and sanctity of the Correctional Service even as he vowed to leave no stone unturned in flushing out bad eggs from the system.
He added that between February 2021 to date, a total 167 staff have been sanctioned with either dismissals and reduction in rank for various offences ranging from trafficking in prohibited items to absenteeism.
“Correctional Service, as the name implies, is established to de-radicalise the maladjusted, hence, it is required of officers to possess a level of moral rectitude to do the job, ” Nababa said.
The NCoS boss, therefore, charged the officers to continue to apply themselves to progressive activities and engagements that would enhance the service in line with the NCoS Act. (NAN)
