The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has vowed to eradicate corruption in correctional centres and ensure that the centres across the country focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Mr Tunji-Ojo made the pledge on Wednesday in Abuja, during the second public hearing on alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS).

The minister said that the move was part of the government’s efforts to transform the correctional service into a model for rehabilitation and reintegration.

He emphasised that the government was committed to changing the narrative of the correctional service, which had been marred by allegations of corruption, abuse, and neglect.

According to him, the core responsibility of a correctional officer is to be an agent of rehabilitation, restoration, reformation, and correction, and not that of condemnation.

“When condemnation takes the place of correction, then the system must have failed. There is therefore a huge weight of humility for this committee. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results. We must change our approach and focus on rehabilitation, empowerment, and reintegration. This is the only way we can ensure that those who are incarcerated are given a second chance to become productive members of society.

“It’s the way you handle the weakest in society that determines the efficiency of the government, and this is a government of new hope. What is it that makes me Nigerian? It’s our sense of life, responsibility, responsiveness, empathy, and goodwill that we share in our society. Remove empathy from us, then we’ll lose the quote of what makes us who we’re supposed to be. And for me, the weakest in society, whether you like it or not, are people that freedom legally has been taken away from.

The interior minister emphasised that the present administration, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, was committed to providing adequate resources and funding for the correctional service.

He said that the federal government had also assured that correctional officers would be trained and equipped to handle the complex needs of inmates.

He stressed the need for a holistic approach to rehabilitation, saying this includes providing inmates with access to education, vocational training, and mental health services.

He assured that the government was also committed to ensuring that correctional centres were safe, humane, and focused on rehabilitation.

Mr Tunji-Ojo stated, “As I always say, this is not a government of new hopelessness, and we cannot renew a system that is not working. I say this very clearly: everybody is not happy with this committee that we set up, because those benefiting from the system can never be happy.

“My responsibility is to move them to the path of perpetual unhappiness. Governance is not just doing what people want or taking them to where they want to go. Governance and leadership are about taking them to where they want to be, and that is where the power of vision comes. This is not 1825. These people should be respected regardless of where they are. That the man is in the correctional centre doesn’t make him less a human.’’

Mr Tunji-Ojo therefore charged the investigative committee to look into the issues of corruption, abuse, and neglect in the correctional service and to make recommendations for reform.

(NAN)