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Adeleke’s Foundation Takes Charity To Prison, Doles Out Incentives To Inmates

Published

7 years ago

July 28, 2017

A non governmental organisation, Springtime Development Foundation, has appealed to Federal government on the need to be more conscious about the general well-being of inmates serving jail terms across the nation prisons.

This was even as the Foundation donated 300 pieces of mattresses, pillows and cash to offset the hospital bills of the sick among the inmates.

The appeal was made by the chairman of the Foundation, Dr Deji Adeleke who led members of the Foundation on a charity visit to Ile-Ife Prison yard in Osun State on Friday.

Adeleke who was represented by his vice, Mr Banji Adesuyi expressed great concerns on the deplorable state of some of the nation’s prisons.

Adesuyi who recalled that Dr Deji Adeleke through the Foundation had donated no less than 700 mattresses and same number of pillows to the inmates in Ilesa prison in Osun also secured the release of about 200 inmates in the same prison.

Adesuyi said Adeleke became aware that inmates of the prison were sleeping on the bare floor when he went to pay a visit to a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Diekola Oyedele, who was detained at the prison.

He said that the visitation was not only to distribute mattresses to those that are still in custody but secure release to a number of inmates who were sentenced with options of fine but were unable to pay.

The Foundation Vice Chairman noted that distribution of the mattresses and pillows were part of the efforts of the founder to alleviate the suffering of the inmates who hitherto were sleeping uncomfortably.

He further explained that “the gesture is today extend to the prison inmates in Ile-Ife as the Foundation did at Ilesa prison. Some of the inmates who are unable to pay fine monetarily have in one way or the other assisted just as their hospital bills would also be offset.”

Echoing a similar view, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Samuel Oyalabu hinted that the Foundation has concluded plans capable of securing jobs for some of the ex-convicts.

Oyalabu said through the scheme some of the inmates would have the opportunity of learning carpentry work, barbing, computer training, as well as fashion designing among others.

He therefore charged the inmates to make judicious use of the items donated, saying it behooves on them to make best use incentives so as to push forward ‎better encouragement.

In his remarks, Barrister Amos Adekunle said Adeleke was not prompted to secure the release of the inmates or distribute the mattresses because of political reason but purely on humanitarian ground.

Adekunle noted that founder of Foundation believes in finding solutions to problems of poverty, diseases, hunger, ignorance, social and political disabilities

The Foundation according to Adekunle was came to being in 1996 with vision to empower disadvantaged communities and individuals on the need to improve themselves.

Earlier, the Assistant Controller of Prison, Ile-Ife, Mr Ajagono Mathew appropriated the Foundation, its founder and the entire members for their q1good gesture, saying it was first of its kind.

Mathew charged other donors on the need to emulate the good gesture.

Speaking on behalf of the inmates, the General Provost of the inmates, Festus Ekaikene expressed excitement over what he described as unprecedented humanitarian gestures, praying God to continue to enrich the pocket of the founder of the Foundation.