A South West stalwart of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), Olufemi Ajadi, has called on the Federal Government to improve the conditions of inmates and the facilities at the Correctional Centres across the country.
Ajadi who spoke on Sunday while celebrating his birthday at the Agodi Federal Correctional Centre, Ibadan, Oyo state, said he came to the centre to celebrate his birthday just to make the inmates happy and feel the good atmosphere of celebration.
Ajadi donated food, drinks and essentials like medicine, detergents, toiletries, solar lights, writing materials, among others, to the centre to improve the inmates’ conditions and well being.
According to him, “Going round the Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan today, I am not happy. The condition of the inmates is nothing to write home about. If you see where they are staying, it is not the best. I know the government is trying, but it should do more. We see how people in the Correctional Centres in developed countries are treated. I plead with the Federal Government to do more for the inmates for the period they will stay there in the Centres.
“I also want to implore the Federal Government to recognise those working in such environment and give them better working conditions. I want the government to treat the Warders the same way they are treating the Police and the military, especially in terms of renumeration.
“The government should improve the facilities in our Correctional Centres because it is not all the inmates that are condemned criminals. We have many people there awaiting trials who have not been pronounced guilty for any offence. At the end of the day, some of these people may not be found guilty of the offences they are remanded for.
“I know President Bola Tinubu’s administration is a listening one and will Improve the conditions of the Correctional Centres. I also call on well-to- do Nigerians to come to help the government in providing adequate facilities in the Correctional Centres. They won’t carry money to heaven. They should put smiles on the faces of inmates at least once in a while,” Ajadi stressed.
On the reason for celebrating his birthday at the Correctional Centres, Ajadi said, “I started the idea of celebrating my birthday at the correctional centres two years ago at Ibara Correctional Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State. You know we have been celebrating my birthday with large number of people, giving them food and drinks, but two years ago, I changed that. We started looking at the people in the Correctional Centres and we believe we should make them happy. I believe they have been separated from their families for one reason or the other. That is what took us to Agodi Correctional Centre this year.
“I know government alone cannot provide the needs of the people at the Correctional Centres and so I have made up my mind that at least once in a year, on my birthday, I will make the Inmates happy. The Correctional Centres inmates have been abandoned. Nobody gives them recognition. They are the people that need to be celebrated. That is why we started this celebration two years ago at Ibara Correctional Centre”.
While rounding off the celebration, Ajadi promised to help provide Solar panel and Inverter to power the Solar borehole at the centre and a bus for the use of the Agodi Correctional Centre.
