MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DONATES MATERIALS TO DISCHARGED JUVENILE OFFENDERS

As part of its commitment to purposeful reformation and proper reintegration to the society of former inmates of the borstal institutions of the Nigerian Prisons Service, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development donated material assistance to the Nigerian Prisons Service. This took place at a symbolic presentation of material assistance to discharged juvenile offenders on the 6th of February, 2009. The occasion which held at the Ministry complex in the Federal Secretariat was the first of its kind, as attested to by Dr H. S. Labo, the Deputy Controller-General of Prisons in charge Health and Social Welfare who represented the Controller-General of Prisons at the event. He said this while fielding questions from journalists at the end of the ceremony. In a brief but remarkable ceremony attended by the Minister of Women affairs and Social Development Mrs Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Yakubu Nuhu Giwa (OON), Director Social Welfare, Halidu Ibrahim(OON, AICPM, fmc, MNIM, ChMc) and a host of other important personalities of the ministry, the Minister presented items of Tailoring, Plumbing and Carpentry to the Nigerian Prisons Service intended to help in the reintegration into the society of discharged juvenile offenders from the borstal institutions. The Prisons team included Dr H. S. Labo, DCG (H & SW), DCPs Greg Adinfono and Adebanjo, both of the Welfare Section of the NPS. The Permanent Secretary, Yakubu Nuhu (OON) said in his remarks that the programme has the primary objectives of enabling the full-settlement and re-integration of former inmates of the borstal institutions. He recalled that the Ministry of Women and Social Development had established a communication link and a sustainable collaborative framework with the Nigerian Prisons Service geared towards complete re-integration of these ex-inmates with their specific families and the larger society pointing out that this will engender peace, harmony, tranquillity, development and progress of our Nation. The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman in her welcome address said that the full integration of ex-offenders into the economic and social lives of their various communities and the Nigerian System is an integral part of security and by extension the 7-point agenda of Mr President. She called on all stakeholders both in public and private sectors to ensure that discharged juvenile offenders are effectively reintegrated in the society pointing out that these juvenile offenders had been trained and equipped with various vocational skills in their reformatory homes. The Minister also assured all that the symbolic presentation taking place was just the first of many more steps to be taken towards proper reintegration of former offenders into the society. To buttress her point she informed her hearers that a stakeholders forum has been created to form an integral part of this programme to review modalities and fine-tune strategies for improved service-delivery in this regard. She then implored the beneficiaries to ensure proper utilisation of the vocational; equipment/materials given them so that the Government can be encouraged to continue to fund this programme, pointing out that a monitoring and evaluation mechanism has been put in place to ensure that her Ministry’s effort is not wasted in this respect. The DCG (H&SW), Dr Labo was in hand to symbolically receive the items from the Minister on behalf of the Controller-General. In his response the Controller General, speaking through Dr Labo commended the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for ‘coming up with this strategic initiative aimed at socio-economic growth and development of our Nation’. The CG pointed out that the Nigerian Prisons Service has three Borstal institutions, located in Kaduna and Ilorin and Abeokuta. He also used the opportunity to give a brief explanation on the need for borstal institution saying that the aim is ‘to take care of young offenders by bringing to bear every good influence which may establish in the inmates the will to lead a good and useful life on release and to fit them to do so by the fullest possible development of their character, capacities and sense of personal responsibility’. The NPS ensures the aforesaid through comprehensive training of this class of offenders in both vocational trades and western education geared towards their proper re-entry into the society. He thanked the Minister for her kind and invaluable gesture and promised to ensure that the donated materials get to the targeted beneficiaries. ‘I wish to assure you that these materials will be judiciously applied as intended’ he concluded. The Director Social Welfare, Halidu Ibrahim (OON, AICPM, fmc, MNIM, ChMc) in his closing remarks encouraged the Controller-General of Prisons to not renege on his promise of judicious application of the items donated. As at the time of filing this report the items have already been delivered to the end-users.

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