Cross River First Lady Inaugurates Medium Security Custodian Center in Calabar
By Hannah ARIKPO
In line with his people's first mantra of the new administration, the wife of Cross River State Governor,Rev. Eyoawan Bassey Otu, has inaugurated medium security custodian centre at the Afokang Correctional Center in Calabar.
The centre houses about six hundred and twenty-one inmates.
The renovation, carried out by the Wife of the state Governor Rev. Eyoawan Bassey Otu, includes the sick bay, administrative block and kitchen were before now in a state of disrepair and dilapidated.
Speaking at the event, Prince Otu emphasized that the inmates who were merely under going rehabilitation were also part of the society and should be accorded a sense of belonging.
"The renovation of these facilities will go a long way to give the inmates confidence that they are only there on temporal basis," Otu emphasised.
Earlier, the Wife of the Cross River Governor, Rev. Eyoawan Otu, described the refurbishment of the Correctional center in Calabar as a mile stone achievement in the state government's efforts to reform and rehabilitate inmates of the center noting that the gesture was to enable her deliver on her promise to the inmates.
She pointed out that the renovation of the center signifies a critical step in the pursuit of justice. "We recognize that a prison should not merely be a place of punishment but a place that offers hope and second chance to those who have made mistakes. It is our believe that every individual, no matter their past, should have the opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to the Society", Eyoawan explained.
The Governor's Wife stressed the need for all hands to be on deck so as to build together an inclusive society and uphold justice, support rehabilitation and foster hope to those who have lost fate in life.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Edema Irom, acknowledged the people friendly disposition of the present administration and expressed hope that the new facilities will give the inmates little comfort irrespective of their present predicament.
Speaking, the state Comptroller of the Center, Dr Amos Kupan, commended the Wife of the Governor for the renovation pointing out that the humanitarian gesture has established government presence at the center.
He disclosed that the Correctional Center is congested, has a total of six hundred and twenty-one inmates and out of which four hundred and thirty- three were on the awaiting trial list and requested for justice for inmates who has minor cases and have overstayed.
She called for the erection of a hostel as part of measures to decongest the prison.
In an interview, the Chaplain of the Correctional center, Rev. Father Peter Anditung, said the renovated facilities were no longer useful, inferring that most inmates don't cook when it rains due to linkages everywhere and thanked the Wife of the Governor for deeming it fit to salvage the situation.
Highpoint of the commissioning was the kickoff of a football match between the inmates.
