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By Myke Agunwa
The Federal Government has concluded plans to build mini solar grids in some correctional centres in the country to reduce overhead cost.
This is aimed at enhancing inmates’ welfare, provide all round power supply at the centres and electronic security gadgets as well as curb security breaches, unexpected invasion and jail break.
The Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) , Sylvester Nwakuche made the disclosure over the weekend when he led a delegation to meet with the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency REA, Abba Aliyu in Abuja.
Recall that the Federal Executive Council l(FEC) recently approved the sum of N10 billion to build a 5 megawatt mini solar grid at the Presidential Villa.
Nwakuche said he has been meeting with sister agencies and other relevant organizations in order to develop mutual assistance agreements, and part of his visit is to seek partnership with the REA in assisting the service and equipping inmates with lifelong skills on electricity management and solar technology.
He said; “I am here to seek for your cooperation towards working with you and bringing to your knowledge, a community that is not being recognized in the scheme of things, the custodial facilities. It is a community of its own, having its own life but which importance people do not seem to recognize. As CGC, I represent that community.
“I am here to see how we can extend that which your agency brings, which is light, to our facilities.
“This is a place where you have the guilty and innocent. It is not everyone there that is guilty. That is why we have awaiting trial inmates. It is a place anyone can be in tomorrow. It could be you or me tomorrow.
“The change of name is more than just that. This is a place people go to school. We have PhD, Masters Degree and Degree holders.
“You need to assist us by giving us light because light is life. We can start small by taking two or three or our facilities per geopolitical zone. We also have farm centres when cu can be powered by solar grids. We have the manpower to give you and we have the land in our facilities to give you for the grids”, he added.
Responding, Aliyu said the agency has been making institutional interventions in education, health, agriculture, defence as well as SMEs, adding that his leadership is willing to make the same intervention in the correctional Service.
He also granted the request to train inmates in the area of renewable energy, saying both she cues would work out the details.
“I want to assure you that we will extend our intervention to your community. It is definitely not going to be a forgotten community. We will reach out to your community. We will energize the community.
“We can also extend training to the inmates. We will look into how we can extend this capacity development to your community”, he pledged.
The REA boss praised the ingenuity of the CGC in reaching out to the agency, describing the action as very innovative.