Thirty-four inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos, graduated on Wednesday from a skills training programme aimed at helping them rebuild their lives after release. The group included 17 men and 17 women who completed vocational courses under the Onesimus Project run by Prison Fellowship Nigeria.

A female graduate was named the overall best student and received a sewing machine to support her future work. Six other participants were also recognised for outstanding performance during the training.

The Assistant Controller-General of Corrections for Lagos and Ogun, Unazi Ogaba, congratulated the graduates and urged them to stay away from crime. He said the skills they had gained would help them become productive members of society and that the certificates represented real transformation.

Leaders of Prison Fellowship Nigeria stressed that the programme offers second chances and shows that a person’s past does not have to define their future. They encouraged the graduates to use the values of integrity and hard work they had learnt and called on communities to support former inmates as they rejoin society.

The project, which has produced 752 graduates since it began, was set up to reduce the number of people returning to prison. Partners including the European Union, SMEDAN, Covenant University and the Nigerian Correctional Service were thanked for their support in giving inmates practical skills and renewed hope.