From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti has promised to step up her support for skills acquisition and empowerment programmes within the Afara correctional Centre, Umuahia, Abia State. Mrs. Otti who made the promise when she visited the correctional facility said stepping up support to the inmates will strengthen the interventions she has extended to the centre in the past.
“Strengthening rehabilitation through skills development is key to ensuring that inmates can successfully reintegrate into society upon release.
The Abia First Lady encouraged the inmates to remain hopeful, engage in self-reflection, and take practical steps toward a better future.
She admonished them not to see the correctional centre as an end, but as an opportunity for life renewal and transformation.
Mrs Otti informed them of the on-going efforts by the current administration to partner with the Ministry of Justice, legal aid organizations, and civil society groups to expand access to justice for inmates who lack proper legal representation.
The initiative, she said, is part of a broader justice reform agenda that places rehabilitation, not rejection, at the heart of the correctional system.
Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Maureen Aghukwa, praised the governor and his wife for placing the welfare of the vulnerable at the forefront of the administration’s priorities. She encouraged the inmates to see their current situation as a temporary phase and to make the most of every opportunity for learning and transformation. The Controller of Abia State Correctional Centre, Mrs Josephine Ogbeifun, expressed joy at the visit of the governor’s wife.
She gave kudos to Mrs Otti for her consistent and compassionate support to the facility, describing her as a dependable ally and a mother figure to both staff and inmates.
Mrs Otti donated cash and food items to the inmates.