The Jasper Nwobi Foundation has finalized plans to launch a national prison decongestion drive to support state and federal efforts to decongest the country’s correctional facilities.
Barrister Juliana Obanilu, a member of the organisation, is expected to lead the initiative as part of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility.
At the conclusion of the foundation’s quarterly meeting with board members and executives held in Lagos, Cosmas Chukwunonso Nwobi, the chairman of the board of trustees, announced this in light of the existing state of the jails and penal facilities in Nigeria.
Mr. Nwobi told reporters that the Board had unanimously decided to launch this humanitarian effort because, “among all other topics covered at the board meeting, we felt it was time to begin advocating for a strategy that will ease the overcrowding in our prisons.”
According to Nwobi, the project calls for convicts with light fines and minor offences to be settled and released following a guidance and counselling session that aims to prevent them from returning to a life of crime across the nation.
He also stated that the board is also thinking about ways to see how some of them can be given jobs where necessary.
“We will look at how we can equip them with start-up cash to launch a business,” the statement reads.
“We are fully aware that most youngsters often participate in crimes due to idleness.” He said.
By doing this, according to Mr. Chukwunonso, the number of inmates in Nigerian jails will drastically decrease, and in turn, so will the crime rate on the country’s streets and the unemployment rate for young people.
