The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke, has cultivated the habit of starting his Christmas day from the Prisons in Onitsha. And this year is no exception since the last five years. He held an eight o’clock holy mass with some other 12 priests inside the prisons and afterwards offered breakfast of rice (eight cooked bags with a cow) to the inmates.
He did not stop there. He provided some snacks like Indomie noodles, cabin biscuits, toiletries and a big Christmas cake.
He later presented the inmates a live cow for their New Year celebration. The highlight of the breakfast with the inmates was the turning of the soil for the building of the Skill Acquisition Centre by the Archdiocese for the training, moulding, formation and mentoring of the inmates as better persons by the time they leave the four walls of the prison.
The centre, when completed, will have six departments offering courses for school certificate exams students, skills in computer, carpentry, tailoring among others. It will be solar powered as an alternative to electricity. The Archbishop promised that it will be commissioned by the Christmas of 2017, if there are no hindrances from the government’s end. In his homily, the spiritual head of the Catholic Church in the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, implored the inmates “to emulate Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. We should aspire to be peaceful with ourselves; we should live for peace and die for peace.”
He commended the Comptroller of the prison, Alexander Odita, who has “shown so much cooperation with the Catholic Church and keyed into our vision and mission; promoted and really followed that, thereby adding value to the life inside the school.” It is on record that His Grace, Archbishop Valerian Okeke visits the prisons three times annually: every Easter, every October 20th being his birthday and every Christmas day. On each occasion, he holds an early morning Holy Mass, breakfast and some other corporal works of mercy.
Anambra Times sought the views of the Comptroller on why out of the 729 inmates – 30 females and 699 males only 81 have been convicted – 77 males and four females; while the number awaiting trails stood at 646? He made it clear that “we lack the authority to determine the swiftness of the cases of the inmates. Rather, we are more concerned with their welfare.”
But he advocated that the policy should “lesser fines should be applied to some offences that would reduce bringing every Dick and Harry to the prison once they leave the Police desk. Again, hardships of the present day economy contribute to frequent crime, hence the growth of the prison population.” Mr. Odita however commended the likes of Mrs. Anthonia Tabansi, “who has made it a point of duty to handle cases for inmates freely and often pays fines for them. I highly pray that some of the lawyers should emulate her,” he added.