In line with its agenda to make people happy and ensure they fulfill their purpose in life, the Imo State Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment has made in with a help agenda to intervene for innocent and helpless prison inmates in Owerri Prisons.
The Supervisory Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment, Mrs. Ogechi Ololo, explained the readiness of the ministry to help and facilitate the release of innocent and helpless prison inmates with minor offences and fine, when she visited the Imo State Controller of Prisons Mr. Chuks Chris Okoyo Owerri.
Some areas the Ministry will focus for help are convicted inmates with cases of minor offences and charges who could not afford to pay their fine because they are financially incapable to foot the bill.
The ministry will also extend their help agenda to those awaiting trial with minor offences, like cases bordering on two fighting and other minor charges.
Mrs. Ololo said, the essence of the visit by Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment was to interact and develop partnership arrangement with the Imo State Prison authorities and intervene with their help agenda for innocent Imo Sons and daughters, helplessly languishing in prison custody due to frame up charges and intimidation by the high and mighty in the society.
Juvenile cases are another area the ministry planed to look into, with a view to properly educates them. She said “these young ones will grow into adult and they will be members of the society, we need to properly educate and mentor them so that when we reintegrate them into the society they will good citizens of our dear country”
According to Mrs Ololo: ‘some families whose loved ones are languishing here, have cried out to the Ministry for help and the Ministry will be willing to help them, it will also like to receive newly released prisoners, mentor them with marketable skill through our Carrer Mentorship Centre, encourage and help them to be fully reintegrated into the society for a better and meaningful life”.
She also hinted the state controller of prisons about the ministry’s job data bank for unemployed Imo youths and urged him to help them with employments whenever there is employment opportunity in Nigerian Prisons.
The Supervisory Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment promised, to look into the matter of one Miss Cynthia Okonkwo, on awaiting trial as a result of a fight between her boy friend and another young man, which reports say she was not involved in the fight.
In his response the Controller of Prisons Mr Chuks Okoye, expressed delight that help is coming from Ministry of a
Happiness and pointed out that there is a link between the purpose of establishing prisons in Nigeria as part of justice system, correction and rehabilitation centre and functions of the Ministry.
He acknowledged the help agenda of the ministry and added that it will make impact in the activities the prison authorities as well as help the inmates to live a transformed life.
Those who accompanied the Supervisory Commissioner to the visit were: the permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Asonye Igwe, Director of Accounts Lolo Angela Ohiri, Principal Officer to the governor on ICT, Mr Tochi Nwosu, Personal Secretary to the Commissioner Mr Stanly Okehi, ICT Media Officer IMGH Chuks Nwokeji and other staffers of the Ministry.
High points of the event was a visit to the female prisoners and interaction between them and Mrs Ololo.
