Ex-inmates who acquired skills in correctional centre beg govt for assistance
Former inmates who acquired skills at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Billiri, Gombe State Command, have appealed to both the Federal and the state governments to assist them with capital.
They made the plea in separate interviews with our correspondent in Gombe on Friday.
According to them, acquiring skills at the custodial centre is the best decision they made towards making their life better.
Musa Harsasi who learned tailoring for four years and eight months at the centre said since leaving correctional facility, he had been attaching himself to another tailor who owns the shop.
Harsasi said not having his own shop and sewing machine had been affecting his ability to improve his income, noting that he would have been making more if he had his own.
He said since his release in 2019, has since been working and sharing the proceeds of his work with the owner of the shop where he is sewing his customers cloths.
The 32-year-old tailor said that though he was sentenced for committing the crime of house breaking and theft, he had since turned a new leaf having acquired the skills from the centre.
He said he makes N30, 000 monthly after sharing the proceeds with the owner of the shop so “I can’t save enough to buy myself a sewing machine since I have mother and siblings to cater for.
“Tailoring has helped me to take good care of my mother since my father is now late and three other siblings are now under my care.
“I am currently attaching myself to someone in his shop, and whatever I make, we share the money.
“I don’t have my own machine and shop; this is why I couldn’t really save enough to buy machine and rent my own shop.
“I really need help with capital to have my own shop because I don’t want to go back to my old ways,” he said.
On his part, 50-year-old Nalado Muhammad said he learned carpentry at the correctional centre and had been practicing for over 10 since he was released from the centre in 2013.
Muhammad who served for 14 years said acquiring skills while at the centre within the period had helped him achieved his dream of having a wife and family of his own.
He said with carpentry skill, when he was released, he was able to work and save some money.
According to him, with the money he made, he married his wife, bought a house and he now fends for his five children who are all in school.
He said since leaving the correctional centre he had been working, empowering youths and enjoying peace of mind while serving as ambassador to youths in his community in Kumo.
He expressed concerns that his business was being threatened because his equipment were now obsolete and that was affecting his vocation.
“I love what I have been doing for the past ten years. The Federal Government through the Nigerian Correctional Service had given me purpose while in prison and I want to continue on their path.
“I am appealing to both the Federal and the Gombe State Governments and other stakeholders to help me out to continue my trade.
“Though I have been able to buy some but there are tools I still lacked and would like to get, that will assist me do my work effectively,” he said.
The ex-inmates commended the Federal Government for introducing skills acquisition at correctional centre, noting that the training had given many of them reasons not to go back to crime.
They appealed to youths in the state to embrace skills acquisition programme of the government or sponsor themselves to get a skill as a way of self-empowerment.
