Twenty-four inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ile-Ife, Osun, on Tuesday graduated from a skills acquisition programme designed to prepare them for reintegration into society.
The graduands completed vocational training programmes in barbing, hairdressing, fashion design, laundering and dry cleaning, auto mechanics, auto electrical work, bricklaying, bag and shoe making, welding and carpentry.
Gov. Ademola Adeleke, who was the special guest of honour, urged the graduands to shun crime and use the skills acquired to contribute positively to society.
Adeleke was represented by Mr Kehinde Olakanmi, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, at the presentation of certificates to the inmates in Ile Ife.
The governor said the initiative would give the inmates hope for a better future, adding that the skills acquired would empower them to become self-reliant after their release.
In his lecture, Prof. Akindehinde Akindahunsi, of the Department of Civil Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, noted that public partnership in inmates’ reformation and reintegration was essential to build a safe society.
Akindahunsi charged government, private organisations and communities to support vocational training and empowerment programmes for inmates.
He urged employers and communities to provide job opportunities and accept ex-inmates to reduce reoffending and promote peaceful coexistence, warning against rejection and stigmatisation.
Earlier, Mr Rotimi Oluwadele, the Controller of Corrections, Osun Command, urged the inmates to make good use of the knowledge acquired during the training.
Oluwadele said the skills acquired through the programme would provide the inmates with opportunities to secure a better future.
The controller of corrections urged the beneficiaries to contribute positively to society after their release, stressing the importance of applying the new skills to earn a living.
Similarly, Mr Olawuyi Winner, the Assistant Controller of Corrections in-Charge of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ile-Ife, said that the training was organised in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Winner said that the initiative was to offer the inmates an opportunity for reformation, rehabilitation and a fresh beginning after their release.
He charged them to use the opportunity to become productive citizens and contribute their quota to the development of the country.
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