The Federal Government is exploring strategic partnership opportunities that could help in rehabilitation; build confidence, skills, and foster positive transformation within the Nigeria Correctional Service.
In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public, Ozoya Imohimi, Relations and made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA indicates that the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed it when he received a delegation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), led by the President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau.
The delegation according to the statement intimated the Minister of an ongoing football reform initiative tagged, “Football Good-Nigeria #Empower Her.”
“This is one programme I am excited to be involved in. I am extremely excited; it is about the female gender. And I see the project as capable of filling the gap.
“Sports, as a form of recreation, remains a unifier that is capable of bridging gaps and transforming people across the globe,” he said.
He emphasised that the name change from prisons to corrections is rooted in a deeper ideology.
“You know the name changed from prisons to corrections not just for the sake of change. It was because of projects like this.
“From a place of incarceration, corrections is a place of rebirth, a place of rehabilitation. We are happy about this collaboration; it is a marriage,” he stated.
The Minister assured Nigerians that the government is committed to transforming the lives of inmates through inclusiveness.
“Under the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), our government is committed to fostering this marriage between the NFF and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) as it aligns with our vision to drive the rehabilitation of inmates across all Correctional Centres, promoting a more inclusive and supportive society,” he said.
Earlier, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, stated that the aim of the visit was to seek the collaboration of the Nigeria Correctional Service on their pilot project “Gender Empowerment Initiative,” which aims to help empower, rehabilitate, and successfully reintegrate incarcerated women back into society by helping them build positive mental fortitude, confidence, and essential skills needed for successful reintegration.
