By Tayo Joseph, Lagos
The Lakushi Farm Centre of the Nigerian Prisons Service has harvested over 400 bags of rice in 2017.
The farm is one of the 17 Prisons farms in Nigerian and major in rice production because of it comparative advantage. The farm was repositioned at the wake of President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to diversify the Nigerian Economy with emphasis on the Agricultural and Mining sectors.
The Nigerian Prisons Service received good funding, which launched the transformation face of these farms in 2016, leading to the procurement and distribution of modern farm tools, aimed at mechanizing the farms for self-sufficiency, training of inmates and enhance revenue base of the Service.
The Lakushi Farm Centre in 2017 received two tractors, one operational vehicle, two boom sprayer, three seed-drill planter, two multi-crop threshers, herbicides, pesticides etc.
The Controller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed also approved the sum of N33,440,291.58 for the renovation of the farm building and inmate cells; which is ongoing.
The farms is already living up to it expectation of supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation and reintegration through enhanced modern skills/training in farming techniques; and have kick-started the Nigerian Prisons’ drive towards self-sufficiency.
The Service is however opened to any form of support, cooperation, and partnership that will enhance the execution of her mandate and further assure the public of her resolve to work for public safety.
