By Evelyn Usman

The Kirikiri Medium Prison, Lagos, was a beehive of activities  Wednesday, as inmates, majority of whom were awaiting trial forgot all the worries associated with their confinement and  concentrated rather on the historic event of the day.

The occasion was that of Inmates’ Re-entry Programme where the inmates showcased their inherent talents ranging from singing, drama, poetry and also exhibition of some  finished products such as clothes, shoes and farm products.

Although crime statistics showed that after serving stipulated  jail terms, some inmates returned to the society   more hardened than they were while others formed robbery gangs during  their jail terms; but some  inmates who spoke with Saturday Vanguard were of contrary views, stating rather, that  they rediscovered themselves right in the prison. They attributed abuse of freedom  and poverty in the outside world as one of the major causes of indulging in crime,  asserting however, that their confinement helped in discovering their inherent talents that had hitherto been wasted while outside.

Exhibition… some of the finished product by the inmates

One of the inmates  who  identified himself as  Adebisi Oluwatosin,  said : “I am into songs. I got into it while outside but was not fully involved. I was discovered here by the grace of God as a result of the spirited effort put in by the Deputy Controller of Prisons in-charge of Medium Prison. Although I have been convicted and have almost completed my jail term, I am happy because I would be leaving here as a new person.

“During my stay here, I was able to form a gospel band. I have already turned a new leaf because I have learnt my lessons. Presently, we have a plan to launch a new album here and this has been our dream .  My experience here has been so interesting because I will be returning back to the society as a new person.

“Prison  is just like a school  though it’s a school of hard knocks. It’s a  place that will drill you and at the end, bring the best out of you. For anyone to serve here and turn a new leaf is a thing of the mind. Everything is made available here; both spiritual and physical. It all depends on your choice. When you choose to allow the things they teach to sink into you, it will bring the best out of you and if you choose to remain like that, you will go back empty . So I chose to attach myself to what was on ground and by the grace of God, I have no regrets.”

Asked what his offence was , he said he was involved in cyber crime but was quick to admonish others who still indulge in the illicit act to desist from it . “I have learnt that the shortest way to make it in life is never through crime but through the help of God and ability to work on your talent. Any other way of making it is  a short cut and if you look for a short cut, it will  cut you short”.

Another inmate who simply gave his name as Nnemure, a graduate of Audio Engineering from a university in France, claimed he has been awaiting trial for two years without his case being heard once in court. He however  said the two years were not wasted as it afforded him the opportunity of building himself in songs-writing too.

“ Before I came here,I was writing songs but not deeply. But when I got here, I realised I have a great potential but have been wasting out there.  When I got here, I understood there is nothing like doing what you are doing and being paid for it. So far, we have won several trophies in singing competitions, a feat I never achieved while I was out there.

“I have been here  for two years without my case being heard in court for once. I was accused of obtaining money under false pretenses but I am not guilty . This goes a long way to tell that not everyone  in prison is guilty of the offence levelled against them”.

Nnemure was not the only inmate still awaiting trial. Investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that out  of  a total of 2,530 inmates at the Medium prison, only 157 had so far been convicted, leaving out 2,373 others awaiting trial. Sadly, some of them have spent over ten years without their case being heard for once.

Mrs Kate Ononye, Controller of Prison, Lagos State

Unable to hide her emotion at what she described as a display capable of matching  those of professionals within and outside Nigeria,  the Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command,  Mrs Kate Ononye, said the feat was a practical demonstration of the correctional institution the Nigerian Prison was known for.

“ Today is not a speech making day but a day we present to the public  those things we do that make us worthy of the name correctional institution. It’s correctional in the sense that anybody being brought to the prison is already being punished for the offence he has committed. Therefore, when they come here, we say the punishment has ended and we try to find out how they found themselves in the prison. And in trying to discover that, we have to employ some measures like counseling, group talk and  recreation . And when we have discovered the problems , we try to solve them by  assisting in   leading  them back to the society as wholesome individuals.

And if we are going to reintegrate them back into the society wholesome, they should not waste their time while here. Therefore, we ensure they are gainfully employed for the period of time they spend here. They need something for themselves; something that can stand the test of time when they leave this place. We put them through all sorts of trainings; both educational, vocational and  food farming. And it is the product of all these that we are showcasing today.

I assure you  that very soon, you will hear  some of their names; both in the football terrain,basket ball, fashion world, music and Nolly wood”, the CP stated.

The Prison authorities are however,  not alone in the effort aimed at reintegrating inmates back to the society.  COMMUNITAS, a non governmental  organisation which was present at the occasion as gathered,  trained the   inmates on vocational skills ranging from barbing, tailoring and  sewing. It was also gathered that uniforms worn by officers and men of the Medium Prison were sewn by inmates.

Aside training, the organisation, according to its Executive Director , Patience Alumba , also assist inmates to sell their  finished products like clothes and shoes at  the end of which  money realized was given to them to meet some of their need.

“Usually when people come in here, it looks as if life has passed them by. We said okay, there is life after  being here and we are contributing by making them  acquire skills  they can use after leaving this  environment.

“Reforming inmates  starts right from the mind.  So, we  looked at preaching God to them , as well as teaching them the necessary skills they can use after they leave here so that they do  not need to go looking for job when they leave here.

“We give them 100% of what is realised from what they produced because we are here to support them to ensure  they earn a living while serving their terms and afterwards. The duration  of training depends on the programme they enroll for and what  we’ve done is to map out strategies on how to go about it. Before leaving the Prison, we also  give them start -up capital, to start a small scale business  and we have a monitoring system to ensure that the skill are being used after they leave here”, Alumba said.