Sixty-one inmates of the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre, Lagos, have graduated from the nine-month Onesimus Project skills acquisition scheme, organised by the Prison Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in partnership with Covenant University and the European Union.
The ceremony, the 14th in the series, held on Wednesday at the centre’s chapel.
Executive Director of PFN, Jacob Tsado, described the project as a rehabilitation initiative that had grown into a movement restoring dignity, building capacity, and equipping inmates with confidence for a fresh start.
He disclosed plans to establish a training hub in Abuja to provide rehabilitation, follow-up services, volunteer training, and restorative justice programmes.
Deputy Governor of Ondo State and PFN Board of Trustees Chairman, Olayide Adelami—represented by Vice-Chairman Prof. Chioma Agomo—said such initiatives offered hope and reduced the chances of reoffending.
He called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to transform prisons into true correctional facilities.
A Senior State Counsel with the Lagos Ministry of Justice, Suliat Ojikutu, urged the inmates to see rehabilitation as a call to abandon crime, while Dr. Dayo Odukoya of Covenant University advised them to cultivate emotional intelligence and self-regulation.
Certificates, tools, cash prizes, and an exhibition of inmates’ works marked the highlight of the event.
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Lagos Command Comptroller of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Daramola George, thanked PFN and partners, noting that the programme reflected the agency’s values and recognised the inmates’ resilience, discipline, and hard work.
