28-year-old Abubakar Buba, a former inmate at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Billiri, Gombe State Command, said training at the correctional centre had made his life more meaningful to his parents and the society.
Buba said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kaltungo community, Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State.
He said he was sent to correctional centre for armed robbery, spent five years and was released in November 2021.
He said learning tailoring for three years at the correctional centre changed “my life completely as I am now fending for myself and catering for my old parents.”
Buba said his decision to learn tailoring at the correctional centre was the best decision he had made in his life and, “through that I have seen the other good side of life which is better and has more respect.”
He explained that while at the centre, he met Mr Christopher Jen, the deputy comptroller in charge of the centre who introduced him to skills acquisition programme and encouraged him to enrol.
“I am happy that I now make my own money without needing to steal from others; I didn’t know how to make money before but now I work and earn my money, so need to steal from people.
“Since leaving the correctional facility, I no longer have time to mingle with bad friends because I am too busy sewing clothes for my customers.
“I am now an ambassador of positive change to younger generation in my society telling them that there is no gain in engaging in armed robbery or any vices.
“I have seen two sides of the coin and I know better and I am in a better positive to help educate the youth so I am doing the little I can,” he said.
He advised youths to jettison crime, drug abuse, bad behaviours and embrace skills acquisition to make their lives relevant and meaningful so that “the society and your parents would be proud of you.
“I acquired skills at the correctional centre but I am appealing to youths not to learn skills the way I learnt but go to school and combine education with skills to earn more respect.”
Buba who holds a first-school-leaving certificate commended the Federal Government and officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) for initiating skills acquisition at the centre, adding that the initiative was “changing lives at the centre.”
The ex-convict, however, appealed to the Federal and Gombe State governments to support him with sewing machine and other equipment to enhance his operation.
“I have been hiring sewing machine to work since I don’t have enough money to buy mine, and I can’t stay idle so I had to hire one to fend for myself, my old parents and my siblings.
“I make about N25, 000 monthly, pay rent of N15, 000 for the sewing machine and other equipment monthly and N20, 000 annually for shop rent; so I hardly get enough to save.
“I need Nigerians to help me stand firm so I can settle down, get a wife and have my own children too like any responsible man; this is my plea,” he said.