For inmates of Nigeria Prisons, Onitsha, Anambra State, the true meaning of Easter was fully made manifest when the Governor Willie Obiano and his wife Ebele paid them a surprise visit yesterday to celebrate Easter with them.

The governor arrived at the facility in the early hours of the morning and participated in a Special Easter Mass at the Colby Chaplaincy, a Catholic Church located inside the prison presided over by the Arch-Bishop of Onitsha Diocese, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke, and fully attended by the inmates of the prison.

Speaking to newsmen immediately after the Mass, Chief Obiano explained that his mission was to spread Christ’s eternal love to members of the society who seem to have escaped the society’s memory.

He said: “These are people that society seems to have forgotten. I brought them a message of love today – the message of Easter; God’s undying love for mankind. I came to remind them that we love them; that we have not forgotten them. That is the message of Easter.”

The governor enjoined the inmates to use the period of their incarceration to reflect on their lives and strive for a complete reformation that would put them in good standing before God and their neighbours.

To set the inmates up on the path of reform and eventual re-integration into the society upon their release, Chief Obiano declared that his administration would set up a vocational centre in the prison to equip them with life supporting skills. He also announced that a power generator would be delivered to the authorities of the prison before the end of the week to fulfil the promise made by his predecessor to the prisoners.

The governor commissioned a new dormitory for the inmates. He expressed discontent with the congestion of the prison and assured that his administration would explore all possibilities of decongesting it to make it more habitable to prisoners. Onitsha Prison presently hosts 870 inmates, out of which only 85 have been convicted while the rest are awaiting trial. Thirty-six of these inmates are females.

Governor Obiano commended the authorities of the prison for ensuring a very clean environment and managing their scarce resources efficiently.

Earlier in his Easter Sermon, Most Rev. Okeke had urged Christians to emulate the standards set by Jesus Christ for his followers, pointing out that the world would be a better place if all Christians did the will of Christ.

He assured Anambrarians that Governor Obiano had taken the first few critical steps that would help the state reclaim its position as a frontline state in the country and called for more support and prayers for his administration.

In his remarks, the Deputy Controller of Onitsha Prison, Mr. Azuka Ndupu, extolled the administrative strides of Governor Obiano so far and commended his wife for her pronounced love and motherly care for the family.

Mr. Ndupu also thanked the Arch-bishop, Most Rev. Okeke, and the entire Diocese for promoting the welfare of the inmates and identified congestion and lack of learning facilities as some of the major challenges confronting the authorities of the prison.

•Photo shows Governor Obiano and wife Ebele after worshipping with prisoners . . . yesterday in Onitsha.

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