From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
Mrs Chidinma Otti adressing inmates
January 26 was momentous as wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs Chidinma Otti, visited the Aba Medium Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service. She took time to stay with the inmates, management and staff of the facility.
She was lavishly applauded as the first Abia governor’s wife to visit any of the custodial centres in the state since the state was created over 32 years ago.
According to her, she came with the deputy governor’s wife, Mrs Adaeze Emetu, and other top government officials, to know their wellbeing or otherwise and find ways of assisting in providing succour and skills for the inmates.
She counselled them to see their stay in the centre as that of undergoing correction and not punishment for mistakes they had made, for which they were convicted, in the first place.
She charged the inmates to use the period of their sentence to learn from the various skills available in the custodial centre, in order to become useful in the society on completion of their jail terms.
To the females among them, Otti promised to work with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in the state, to assist those needing representations in the courts, urging that they remained calm and obedient while in detention: “We will support my husband, to make life easy for you while in custody.”
For Otti, her marked a new beginning towards taking care of the entire citizenry, urging all Abians to support the Alex Otti-led administration to succeed in its readiness to reposition the state: “A new beginning has come in place, in order to achieve the new Abia of our dreams.”
She commended officials of the correctional centre led by Deputy Controller, Uche Emeh, for their commitment in maintaining peace in the centre.
State Chairman of FIDA, Mrs Akudo Amalambu, pledged that FIDA will partner with the wife of the governor to ensure better things for the inmates as well as take up cases of those awaiting trial who are unable to get defence counsels due to financial constraints.
Deputy Controller Emeh, earlier said the organization was engaged in reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates, a situation that led to the establishment of skill acquisition in tailoring, electrical and welding works, shoe making, carpentry, bead making, hairdressing salon and adult education.
He listed some of the assistance needed as lack of adequate escort vehicles, new tyres for available ones, sleeping materials, power generators, industrial sewing machines, computer sets as well as mosquito nets and drugs, among others.
The Governor’s wife and her entourage made donations of various food items and cash to the centre and cut a cake presented to her at the event, while the inmates as well as wives of staff, prayed for and sang praises to God for wellbeing of the first family of Abia.