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By Luminous Jannamike, ABUJA

The Controller-General, Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, has said many custodial centres in Nigeria have been decongested through the rehabilitation of inmates, with 85 of them undergoing various post-graduate programmes in the country.

Nababa also said that things were improving with regards to the rehabilitation of correctional facilities across the country, especially with the commitment of officials and the performance of inmates.

The controller stated this while delivering his keynote address titled, ‘Penology, Correctional Centres, and Crime Control – Striking a Balance’ at the Shammies Unusual Hearts Foundation 2nd Annual Lecture Series in Abuja yesterday.

He said that aside from the 85 inmates taking post-graduate courses, 532 others were also undergoing Bachelor’s degree programmes in various fields.

The controller noted that despite being in incarceration, many prisoners had shown zeal to acquire education, even at the highest level as the state of education facilities in custodial centres was receiving a boost, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the construction of 3,000 capacity correctional centres in six geopolitical zones.

The CG, whose position paper was read out by a Controller of Corrections, Emmanuel Nwakaeze, said: “More inmates have been able to actualise their dream of having a university education. The Service now has 85 inmates in the National Open University of Nigeria’s post-graduate programmes out of which four are for a PhD, 25 for a Master’s degree programme, and 56 for a post-graduate diploma, while 532 are for the 1st-degree programme.

“More study centres are to be established across all Correction Service formations by 2025.”

According to him, in a bid to achieve accelerated growth and national transformation, every Nigerian must be given equal education opportunity, irrespective of where they may find themselves.

He, however, said the feat was not single-handedly achieved, but with the collaboration of some religious and non-governmental organisations.

Earlier, the Executive Director of SUHF, Ambassador Sara Abdul, stressed the need for stakeholders to pay close attention to the reasons why crime and criminals flourish in society.

“For a crime to be less attractive and correctional facilities to fulfil their mandates, there is the need to partner with the major stakeholders in the correctional value chain to push for reforms which will, in the long run, have a positive impact on our nation Nigeria,” she added.

Vanguard News Nigeria