Succour came the way of the inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) facilities in Anambra State following the donation of various food items to them by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone led the management and some officers of the institution to the Awka custodial centre with various food items.
Some of those items donated were 100 (25kg) bags of rice, 10 cartons of tomatoes and three cartons of vegetable oil; and they were meant for the inmates of the four custodial centres in the state.
Acting Head of Information and Public Relations of the university, Mrs. Chika Ene, who stood in for the VC, presented the items to the leadership of the NCS in Awka.
According to her, the donation was one of the university’s ways of complementing Federal Government’s efforts in providing for the needs of persons in incarceration and showing them love in order to promote their smooth integration into the society upon discharge.
The Controller of Corrections, Anambra State Command, Pat Chukwuemeka, was expressed gratitude to the VC and his management team for their benevolence and show of love to the inmates.
He said that the items would go a long way in meeting the dietary needs of the inmates.
Chukwuemeka, however, appealed to the Vice Chancellor to consider sending some of their lecturers and/or interns, free of charge, to help in tutoring and preparing the inmates for semester and degree examinations.
Daily Sun gathered that the Anambra State Command of the service has primary and secondary schools and also a university centre where the inmates access free education.
Public Relations Officer of the NCS in the state explained that: “The command has produced over 300 inmate’s school certificate holders, and over five degree holders, a master’s degree holder and a Ph.D student, while many of them are enrolled into various undergraduate programmes.
“Recall that one of the mandates of the Correctional Service is to reform the inmates. This mandate, the present administration led by the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, has a penchant for and is determined to impact the inmates under his watch with requisite knowledge which will equip them, as well as prepare them to be good citizens upon release.”