Tunji-Ojo Open A New Chapter of Renewned Hope For Inmates By Femi Salako
Nigerian Ministry of Interior has in recent time opened a new chapter of unprecedented commitment to justice,
dignity of human lives and improved national security. The guiding light and the egghead behind the ingenious initiatives of the Interior Ministry, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has yet again actualized an idea that is targeted at liberating the incarcerated, reducing government spending on inmates and to bring about marked improvement in the security of Nigerian borders.
Compassion has evidently driven Tunji-Ojo to secure the release of inmates that have been languishing in the 253 correctional centers across the country; due to their inability to pay fines and compensations imposed on them by the court. The minister has envisioned this as a starting point in proffering lasting solution to the lingering national problem of over-congestion in the nation’s correctional centers.
The ingenious Minister of Interior had gone ahead to raise over five hundred and eighty million naira through crowd funding by individuals and cooperate bodies. This idea was mooted by Tunji-Ojo because he felt the urgent need to set free the 4,068 inmates whose fines and compensations are not more than one million naira. As at today, the highly performing minister has convincingly conquered a new ground by commencing the process of releasing 4,068 inmates at absolutely no cost to the federal government.
“The sum of Five Hundred and Eighty-five Million Naira only (N585,000,000.00) was raised by philanthropic individuals, groups and corporate bodies, as part of their corporate social responsibility, for this purpose”.
Tunji-Ojo indeed gave hope to the hapless and hopeless inmates on Saturday, November 18, 2023 when he flagged-off the event of releasing 4068 correctional centers inmates. The minister has also carefully put measures in place to swiftly depopulate the 80,804 inmates in 253 custodial facilities nationwide by 4,068 in the next four weeks.
The minister has however remain firmly cognizant of the need for the Interior Ministry to collaborate with the various governmental agencies on the release of inmates, particularly the office of the Attorney General of the federation. The minister also envisions the activation of non-custodial functions of correctional services. He intends to push this idea so that the conditions of Nigerian correctional centers inmates as well as that of the staff could get upscaled to international human rights standard.
Tunji-Ojo had also frowned against a situation where more than 80,000 inmates are now kept in the nation’s 253 correction centers that were originally built to house not more than 50,000 inmates. The minister has therefore gone ahead to start advocating for laws that support non-custodial services.
“It is based on this premise that this administration is poised to transform custodial and non-custodial facilities to ensure compliance with international human rights standards and good correctional practices.
“This administration will support the Service in ensuring that it functions effectively and efficiently, especially in the area of upscaling staff and inmates’ welfare”.
In spite of the serious efforts being made by Tunji-Ojo to decongest the correctional centers, he has also not lost sight of the need to secure the nation’s porous borders. He has made it known at several fora that only a safe boarder can seamlessly guarantee a safe nation. He has for this reason gone ahead to establish inter-agency committee that comprises of key stakeholders.
The minister had also mandated the inter-agency committee to leverage of human intelligence and cutting-edge technology to secure and ward-off threats from Nigerian boarders. He equally canvassed very strongly for patriotism and involvement of communities in the quest to secure the frontiers of Nigeria.
The obviously competent and patriotically zealous Tunji-Ojo has clearly distinguished himself as a member of the Federal Executive Council. He has thus far proven his mettle as a visionary minister that re-write unfavourable narrative of a nation.
He has also risen far above quick fixes by making the necessary sacrifice to proffer lasting solutions to national issues. He is very determined to painstakingly come up with a lasting boarder control framework that will safeguard the nation’s security for a very long time to come.
It is most heartwarming that Olubunmi-Tunji-Ojo has indeed opened a new chapter of hope, inspiration and confidence in the history of Nigeria. He ha successfully delved into areas of governance that his predecessors never considered necessary and therefore recorded unprecedented achievements as Interior Minister. The minister has given hope to thousands of hopeless inmates that never believed their fines and compensations could ever be paid.
The minister had also promised that the inmates would not be left to their fates after getting released. He had informed at the flag off event that all the inmates to be released have been well trained and equipped with skills that would sustain them in their post -custodial lives. He also assured that all the 4,068 inmates would be given some stipend to transport them to their respective towns or communities.
“It behoves on all of us therefore to ensure that we support offenders’ reformatory process.
“I hereby flag off the release of 4,068 inmates with option of fine and compensation nationwide to the glory of God”.
Tunji-Ojo truly deserves all the accolades he is getting today for proving himself a worthy ambassador of Nigerian youths. He equally deserves credit for proving that a new Nigeria where government can truly fill the gap her citizens is possible. BTO as he is popularly known, has become a shinning light of transformation and beacon of hope for hopelessly incarcerated inmates as well as other Nigerians at home and in diaspora.