The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, in collaboration with the Oluchi Vivian Uche Foundation, has empowered former inmates with vocational tools and start-up materials to support their reintegration into society and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
At the empowerment programme in Abuja, FCT Controller of Corrections, Christopher Peter Jen, described the beneficiaries as products of the service’s rehabilitation initiative, noting that they acquired vocational skills while in custody and are now being equipped to establish sustainable means of livelihood.
He said the correctional service remains committed to mentoring and monitoring released inmates to ensure they successfully utilise the skills acquired during incarceration.
The beneficiaries, who received training in tailoring, soap making, disinfectant and fragrance production, were presented with sewing machines, soap-making equipment and other tools to enable them start small businesses.
Founder of the Oluchi Vivian Uche Foundation, Oluchi Vivian Uche, said the initiative reflects the foundation’s commitment to humanitarian service, legal aid and the protection of vulnerable persons. She noted that the organisation was established to provide free legal services, support education and restore hope to disadvantaged members of society.
Uche disclosed that before the foundation was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in May 2026, she had sponsored the education of indigent students and supported hospitals and vulnerable persons. She added that the foundation has since expanded its outreach to correctional facilities in Kuje and Suleja, where inmates received meals, vocational equipment and relief materials.
According to her, the foundation plans to sponsor WAEC fees for 500 indigent students and carry out ten humanitarian outreaches before the end of the year, before transitioning to quarterly interventions.
She urged Nigerians to support vulnerable persons, defend their rights and embrace charitable acts regardless of their financial status.
Also speaking, Controller of Corrections Christopher Peter Jen commended the foundation for complementing the correctional service’s efforts, stressing that rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration remain the agency’s core mandate.
He noted that expanded vocational training programmes across FCT custodial centres are helping inmates acquire employable and entrepreneurial skills.
One of the beneficiaries thanked the correctional service and the foundation for the opportunity, saying the skills acquired while in custody had transformed his life and enabled him to earn a living. He pledged to make productive use of the donated equipment and encouraged other former inmates to embrace rehabilitation.
In a further boost to the initiative, one of the foundation’s volunteers donated an additional ₦150,000 to support inmates in purchasing materials for their vocational activities.