The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has pledged support for the prison ministry of the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke.
Soludo made the pledge during the birthday mass for the Archbishop, who marked his 70th birthday on Friday.
The mass was celebrated at the Nigerian Correctional Service Medium Security Custodial Centre Onitsha, on Friday.
The governor also laid the foundation stone for the secondary school that will be built in the centre and inaugurated the skills acquisition centre built and donated by the Archbishop.
Soludo said he was impressed by the Archbishop’s commitment to helping inmates at the correctional centre, adding that the Archbishop’s work was a reminder that everyone deserves a second chance.
He promised to pay the NABTEB examination fees for 30 inmates who are preparing to write the exams while promising to install solar panels and inverters to supply electricity to the centre, which has a population of 1,125 inmates.
He said, “I am here today to celebrate the Archbishop of Onitsha for his commitment to helping those who are often forgotten. I advise the inmates to take advantage of the skills acquisition programme at the centre so that they can be productive members of society when they are released.
“I urge you to take the skills acquisition programme seriously so that when you are released from prison, you can use these skills to build a better life for yourself and your family.”
In a homily, the celebrant, Archbishop Okeke, noted that gratitude to God is the greatest sacrifice to offer.
The Archbishop, who celebrated his birthday with inmates, has made many philanthropic gestures at the centre, including rehabilitating a borehole that supplies water to all the cells, renovating the prison cells, and establishing a skill acquisition programme where inmates can learn various skills.
The month-long birthday celebration of the Archbishop will also include visits to several hospitals in Onitsha, where he will pay the bills of patients who are unable to pay.
The Archbishop was awarded the Grand Patron of Inmates in Custody in Nigeria by the Controller-General of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, represented by his Deputy, SN Nwakuche.
Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, Speaker House of Assembly, Somtochukwu Udeze, SSG, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Chief of Staff Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Tony Nwoye, Senator Chris Ngige, National Chairman APGA, Sly Ezeokenwa, Papal Nuncio to Czech Republic, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo amongst others, attended the mass.
