PFN National President, others elevate Onitsha Correctional Center with Classroom Blocks, Chapel

By: Ijeoma Sandra, Nnewi.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Anambra State Chapter, has handed over a multimillion-naira complex made up of classroom blocks and a Unity Chapel to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) in Onitsha.

The handover was in a move aimed at giving inmates hope and a second chance at life.

The new facilities, located at the Medium Security Custodial Center, Onitsha, were commissioned and dedicated by the PFN National President, His Eminence Bishop Francis Wale Oke, represented by the PFN National Deputy President, Rev. Dr Cosmas Ilechukwu.

They were formally received on behalf of the Correctional Service by Controller General Sylvester Nwakuche, represented by Assistant Controller General and Zonal Coordinator, Zone M, Enugu, Prisca Oku.

PFN Anambra Chairman, Bishop Moses Ezedebego, said the idea for the project was conceived during a routine visit to the center, when the delegation was moved by the inmates’ passion for education despite their circumstances.

“During the visit, we saw the hunger of these inmates to continue their education against all odds. Education is light that dispels darkness. This project was conceived not just as a building of bricks and mortar, but as a center of hope, learning, discipline, character formation, transformation and spiritual renewal,” he said.

“May every student who sits in these classrooms discover new purpose, embrace new hope and prepare to re-enter society as responsible, productive and God-fearing citizens.”

Ezedebego added that PFN would soon sink a borehole within the facility to provide inmates with potable water, while also extending similar school and chapel projects to other custodial centers across Anambra State.

Preaching at the dedication service, Rev. Dr. Ilechukwu said the chapel and classrooms symbolize both God’s presence and the possibility of a new beginning.

“The chapel is a symbol of God’s presence. The worst prison is an uneducated mind. Circumstances of life make people inmates, but their true identity is in God. These facilities will help to recalibrate their mindsets and prepare them for better lives,” he said.

Controller General Nwakuche, in his remarks, praised the PFN’s intervention as a model of faith-based collaboration with government.

“Access to education and faith-based support reduces re-offending and equips inmates for reintegration into society. This is a shining example of reform at work,” he said.

For Bishop Emmanuel Obiora of the Life of Faith Gospel Assembly, the value of the project lies in its use.

“The classrooms are where inmates enrolled in school can sit down and study without distraction, while the chapel offers them space to pray and reconnect with God. If these facilities are fully utilized, then they will be serving their true purpose,” he advised.

The most inspiring testimony of the day came from Dr. David Molapo, a former South African inmate who later rose to become a senior government official despite a troubled past marked by depression and negative thoughts.

“Once there is life, there is hope,” he told the inmates. “No matter your mistakes or present condition, you can still become who God designed you to be.”

The event ended with the official handover of the complex, alongside drama and dance performances by male and female inmates, leaving both the guests and beneficiaries with a sense of renewed purpose and possibility.