Hope Behind Bars Africa (HBBA) has upgraded the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) learning centres at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Keffi-New, Nasarawa State, to enhance educational opportunities and rehabilitation efforts for inmates.
The intervention, which will benefit the facility’s 666 inmates, included the renovation of the learning centres and donation of educational materials and equipment, including desktop computers, a 3KVA solar inverter, textbooks, notebooks, chairs, tables, markers and other stationaries. The project was implemented under the Civic Accord Project with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and in partnership with the Youth Africa Leaders Initiative Network (YALI Network).
Commitment to Inmate Rehabilitation
Speaking during the commissioning and handover ceremony, HBBA Programmes Manager, Nurudeen Hassan, said the organisation embarked on the project to ensure that inmates have access to quality education and skills acquisition while serving their sentences. According to him, HBBA was established eight years ago to provide access to justice for indigent Nigerians but later expanded its interventions to address gaps within the correctional and criminal justice systems.
“For today, we are launching and handing over the NOUN Centre and the NABTEB Centre for the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi-New. The idea behind it is that when people are in correctional facilities, they should be corrected. They should not go into correctional facilities and come out worse,” Hassan said.
He added that inmates who acquire education and vocational skills while in custody are more likely to become productive members of society upon release. “As our name suggests, we work with people behind bars. We believe that if inmates have access to education and learning infrastructure, they will be much more useful to themselves and society when they return to the public,” he said.
Hassan disclosed that HBBA had supported more than 10,000 inmates across the country through access-to-justice initiatives and rehabilitation programmes. He noted that the organisation had also implemented agricultural training projects in correctional facilities to equip inmates with practical skills and support their reintegration into society.
Impact on Inmate Wellbeing
Earlier, Hassan described the upgraded centres as evidence that rehabilitation remains possible when inmates are provided with opportunities for personal development.
Controller of Corrections, Nasarawa State Command, Anthony Sanda, commended HBBA and its partners for supporting correctional centres and promoting rehabilitation through education. He described education as a vital tool for reformation and reintegration, noting that many inmates enter correctional facilities without educational qualifications.
“I am delighted to witness the handing over of the renovated NOUN and NABTEB facilities here at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi-New. I have been hearing about the organisation’s interventions, but now I have seen and touched them myself. Seeing is believing,” Sanda said.
He urged inmates to take advantage of the facilities to improve themselves and prepare for productive lives after incarceration. According to him, inmates who acquire knowledge and qualifications while in custody would be better positioned to contribute positively to society after their release.
Also speaking, the Officer-in-Charge of the custodial centre, Chief Superintendent of Corrections (CSC) Samaila Bulu, said access to education would help address some of the emotional and psychological challenges faced by inmates. He explained that educational programmes provide inmates with constructive engagement and help keep them focused on personal development.
“Providing inmates with the opportunity to acquire education is also one avenue that will douse some of the emotional concerns they have. These educational platforms made available through HBBA will engage them more positively and keep their minds on the path of propriety,” he said.
Bulu added that the Nigerian Correctional Service had put in place several rehabilitation mechanisms, including psychological support, guidance counselling and dynamic security measures aimed at promoting inmates’ wellbeing and successful reintegration.
The event was attended by officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service, representatives of justice sector institutions, development partners and inmates of the custodial facility.
