By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Awka
The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi.has lamented the anguish and languish many youths undergo in Correctional facilities across the country, lamenting that a caring society with caring leaders would have engaged the youths differently to avoid crime.
Obi who doled out #500 to each of the inmates, lamented that ” Seeing these youths here who are in their productive age is a painful thing”.
He advised the privileged and the leaders to care more for our society so that all can have a caring society.
“We will continue to pray for these young men to regain their freedom. We are interested in human capital development and we want them to become reasonable persons in the society,” he disclosed.
This is coming as arrangements have been concluded for Onitsha Correctional Centre to be used as centre for Open University come January 2025, sequel to it’s upliftment by the Open Air University of Nigeria.
The Authority reports that the Open Air University personnel who were on oversight of the facilities endorsed it as a centre sequel to it’s high standard of equipments.
The Chaplain of St Maximilian Kolbe Chaplaincy Onitsha, Rev.Fr. Bathlomeo Okpalugo, made this disclosure at the Correctional Center shortly after a special mass service conducted by the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Rev Dr Valerian Okeke with the inmates to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to Okpalugo, the Open Air University officials on inspection of the facilities at the Onitsha Correctional Center, confirmed that none of the Correctional Centers in Nigeria has acquired the kind of structures that are in Onitsha center with the ultra modern skill acquisition structure built by the Archbishop.
“They confirmed that Onitsha Correctional Center is better than the one in Awka, state capital, where they normally go and take their external examinations, and affirmed that by next year, 2025 January, our inmates who are interested in open University will commence it here,” he stated.
Okpalugo who described education as the best thing that can happen to inmates, also added sports as the second important thing disclosing that they do all kinds of sporting activities that include, football, table tennis and Archbishop tournament which is done yearly, courtesy of the Archbishop with many sponsors.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, presented one live cow and slaughtered one for the inmates to celebrate Christmas like others who have their freedom.
In his homily, with the theme, ‘Divine Restoration’, the Archbishop who is the Grand Patron Nigerian Correctional Centre, lamented the spate of crime in the country stating that people who carry out these crimes are in darkness and need to have a change of heart.
“These people who commit these crimes are in darkness, they don’t receive Christ, they make our society ungovernable because of insecurity. Some take pride in crimes,”; he stated.
To the inmates, he told them to be of good behaviour when they come out of prison stating that his aim in celebrating the Christmas with them is for them to feel they belong during this commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Among the items he presented to them included, one live cow, one slaughtered cow, tissue papers, soap, toothpastes, brushes, cooked rice, satchet waters, among others.
Also, a former gubernatorial candidate in the state and Chief Executive Officer, of United Nigeria Airlines, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, gave the inmates tubers of yam and bags of rice.
