The Federal Government is gearing up to train and empower 500 inmates in each of the 240 correctional facilities nationwide with various life skills for their post-term lives. The pilot phase of this initiative has already commenced at the Kuje Correctional Center. Miss Abiola Arogundade, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Education, made this announcement in Abuja, highlighting the project's aim to alleviate poverty, affecting 133 million people in Nigeria, as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration plan.
Arogundade emphasized that this empowerment scheme offers inmates, particularly those nearing the end of their terms, opportunities for personal and professional growth through vocational training. The objective is to equip them for life after incarceration, thereby investing in their future and societal well-being. The inmates will undergo training in various skills, including design, Information Technology, soap making, fashion, poultry, and fishing, among others.
The training, which began with an audit of the needs of inmates at Kuje Correctional Center, will continue nationwide. Each trained inmate will receive N500,000 at the end of their prison term to establish their businesses, aimed at preventing recidivism. The scheme, which will run for six to nine months depending on the inmates' preferences, also includes practical elements such as setting up kiosks for hairdressers with additional streams of income like POS services and phone charging, in partnership with banks. The ultimate goal is to ensure that beneficiaries have sustainable means of livelihood upon release.
