From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:NIGERIA: GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE PRISON CONDITIONS
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 23:48:51 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Africa, southern
Title: NIGERIA: GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE PRISON CONDITIONS


an inter press service feature

by ebunoluwa okusanya

lagos, jan 14 (ips) -- the nigerian government has introduced
measures to improve the worsening conditions of the country's
prisons.

''these measures are to improve the conditions which are
repressive enough not to allow inmates to develop their
potentials'', says tunji olagunju, former internal affairs
minister.

under the new measures, convicts in the country's estimated
400 jail-houses are being trained in skills such as carpentry,
tailoring and printing.

the government is building two more prisons in the northern
state of katsina and the southern state of rivers to ease the
congestion problem which has led to the outbreak of epidemics
such as cholera and scabies.

prisons meant for 28,000 are currently being occupied by more
than 60,000 inmates.

reasons for the prisons' congestion include lack of funds,
slow investigation and trial of suspects, the penchant for
adjournment requests by lawyers and the excessive use of
custodian sentence by magistrates and judges.

saidu barda, a spokesperson of the presidential task force on
de-congestion of prisons, says the plight of suspects awaiting
trial in prisons is much worse than those already convicted by
the law courts.

''statistics on the prison population released last year
show that about 40 percent of deaths in prisons represented
those of inmates awaiting trial'', adds barda.

there has been mixed reaction to these measures.

an ex-convict, recently released after a three-year term
for stealing, told ips this week the reforms are inadequate.

''in my three years in prison we were taught very little
to pass the time spent as inmates''.

the ex-convict, who spoke on condition of anonimity, says he
took courses in catering but complains: ''there were never
enough materials to use and sharp utensils were not allowed''.
(more/ips)

nigeria: government (2)

the 34-year-old ex-police officer, who went for help at
the lagos island local government council, says he was
hospitalised three times while jailed at the maximum kirikiri
prison, which is reputed for its overcrowding.

''it was god that saved me and i'm glad to be out of it
all'', he adds.

a 40-year-old prisoner, however, believes fellow inmates
should seize the opportunity of whatever reforms the government
can offer.

''prison is not a place where people are punished, but are
trained to become better. you either learn and change or remain
worse than you were before s
nced'', says the prisoner
serving a three-year term since last year.

''i thank god i've learnt a few things here. going to the
vocational school will make it easier for me to work when i'm
released'', the prisonsers told ips at kirikiri prison here.

olagunju insists the government is concerned about the
ripple effect of a correctional institution and wants to
make prisoners useful at the end of their terms.

''as part of our arrangement to prepare the inmates
adequately for normal life outside the prison, this ministry has
emphasised their vocational, educational and religious training,
conscious that repressive measures can lead to an increase in
their criminal tendencies'', olagunju says.

andrew obaseki, a retired justice of the supreme court
adds: ''until the rising tide of the population increase can
be controlled by well-programmed family planning education
in the country, the government will be hard put to keep down the
rising crime wave''. (end/ips/eo/ro/tm-m/apc/93)
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