RENEWED HOPE FOR OFFENDERS

 Henry Udutchay argues for a better care for prisoners

In the words of late Nelson Mandela, “No one truly knows a nation until it has been in its jails”. This is one of the famous quotes of former president of South Africa who himself spent a greater part of his youthful life incarcerated. It succinctly captures the reality of most correctional

centres all over the world and the below average condition of most inmates and how they struggle to navigate life daily inside the walls of the correctional facilities, especially in this part of the motherland. Which begs the question if truly the centres are correctional or it’s just

semantics. Because an offender is expected to serve its term in custody, go through various stages of development so that when he or she regains freedom, reintegration into the society will be seamless and the returning offender would have acquired adequate correction and become a better citizen. This is the trajectory expected of all inmates serving time, with the exception of those who are doing life imprisonment or serving other punishments as the case may be.

Even in cases where an offender is spending the rest of their lives in confinement, one of the UN international human and prisoners’ rights promulgated in 1990 states that “All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings.”

Another of the rights as promulgated also stated that “Conditions shall be created enabling prisoners to undertake meaningful remunerated employment which will facilitate their reintegration into the country’s labour market and permit them to contribute to their own financial support and to that of their families.” The submission above clearly explains the need to recognize that though the correctional centres are to serve as punishment to offenders, it has a duty to accord human dignity and respect on all inmates regardless of what they are there for. It is on that premise that most correctional centres are being charged to revisit issues of offenders’ welfare and ensure that the right practices are being done.

Since the establishment of Nigeria Prisons, now Nigerian Correctional Service, in 1872 by the

British, the Service has gone through various reforms, the last being 2019 that led to the name changed to Nigerian Correctional Service. Many issues have been raised concerning the Custodial Centres, such as state of the physical structure, staff welfare, inter agency collaborations for intelligence purposes, decongestion, etc., but not much as been achieved, until recently, in the area of offenders welfare.

For every time offenders’ welfare has been brought to the fore, somehow it never seemed to get the needed support as expected, therefore efforts to improve the living condition of inmates has always fallen short of expectation. The administration of current Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa is however moving in the right direction with regard to welfare of offenders. Among its many achievements, this will always stand out. Over the course of the last  few years, efforts were taken to improve the all-round training and welfare of inmates as well as basic infrastructure and facilities. The Service strengthened the Adult and Remedial Education Programmes, Vocational Training and Skills Acquisition as well as Human Rights/Welfare of Prisoners. Also, inmates who were students before imprisonment can now continue their academic pursuit concurrently while serving their jail-terms. This enabling environment for educational

programmes was provided across all custodial facilities; a development which attracted recognition from UNESCO and other international organizations.

The Service has also improved medical care for offenders in recent time through the provision of drugs, treatment of sick inmates and upgrade of the medical facilities across the Costodial Centres.

However, the issue of daily allowance for the offenders requires urgent attention. According to reports,

inmates are only entitled to about N750 for feeding, which translates to 250 naira per meal. This is very poor going by current rate of inflation and cost of living in Nigeria today. This is why stories about the poor and

unhealthy meals being served to offenders in the prisons will not go away. And without being fed decently, it is impossible to function properly. If offenders across the

centres are expected to take advantage of the various opportunities presented to them, feeding them well is a good way to start.

The Minister of interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is hereby called upon to look into the budget of the Nigeria Correctional Service and see how this can be improved to enable inmates have a befitting meal. Looking at the cost of living today, it will not be out of place to suggest anything within the region of 1500 to 2500 naira per day. And as the other part of the late Nelson Mandela quote says, “A nation should not be judged by how it

treats its highest citizens but how it treats its lowest ones.” Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has been described by many as a visionary and exemplary leader, it is hoped that he will throw his weight behind the Nigerian Correctional Service and give them all the necessary support to succeed. As one of the leading agencies under the interior ministry, the failure or success of the Nigerian Correctional Service will definitely rub off on the umbrella body.

Already, the minister’s intervention in the prompt release of over 4000 inmates last month is laudable. More of this is required in all other areas for a smooth running of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Chief Udutchay writes from Abuja