Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (middle) with Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Edward Ubosi (5th right); Controller of Prison, Enugu Command, Ukwuori Ndukwe Kalu (4th left); his deputy, Felix Lawrence (2nd left); state Commissioner for Justice, Melitus Eze (5th right) and others cutting the governor’s 53rd birthday cake at the prison headquarters, Enugu,
The Controller of Enugu Prison Command, Mrs. Ukwuori Ndukwe Kalu, has commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his humbling decision to celebrate his 53rd birthday with inmates of the Enugu Maximum Prison.
She said the governor’s choice of the Enugu Prison as venue for his birthday celebration was the first by any serving governor since the facility was established in 1937, noting that it is an indication of his humility and preparedness to serve both the rich and the society’s poor and downtrodden.
Thanking Governor Ugwuanyi for his support to the command, she said: “your prompt intervention during the Nsukka jailbreak incident in 2016, renovation and tiling of cells at Enugu Prison, granting of pardon to deserving inmates as well as the release of funds for the procurement of drugs to prison inmates and the installation of industrial fans in the cells at Enugu State prisons clearly demonstrate your humane leadership”.
Mrs. Kalu further explained that the state has been leading the crusade against having underaged children in prison and called on relevant authorities to stem the tide.
Addressing the inmates, Governor Ugwuanyi said that he was at the prison to celebrate with them and see firsthand how his administration can help improve their welfare.
“It is indeed a cardinal responsibility of the government to cater for the wellbeing of everybody and every segment, group or class in the society. We have in this respect taken full notice of the sewage and allied challenges confronting this prison and have resolved to take necessary measures to address them adequately and satisfactorily,” said the governor who donated various items to the command.
He also informed the cheering inmates who held musical performances in his honour, that his administration has set aside sufficient funds and the necessary logistics to enable lawyers and other stakeholders to facilitate their release from jail. It was towards this goal, instructively, that the state’s executive council approved the release of N10m last week for the payment of honorarium to lawyers to be so engaged.
In a similar vein, the state’s deputy governor, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, also visited charity homes such as Holy Ghost Motherless Babies Home and Nigerian Red Cross Motherless Babies Home, both in Enugu, where she donated various items to commemorate the governor’s birthday.
