Soludo joins Archbishop Okeke in birthday mass at Correctional Center, promises to pay exam fees for inmates

The Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke, celebrated his 70th birthday with inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Service Medium Security Custodial Center Onitsha, where he has been supporting various projects to improve their welfare.

The birthday mass was attended by the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, and his wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo. The Governor also commissioned the skills acquisition center built and donated by the Archbishop and laid the foundation stone for the secondary school that will be constructed in the center.

Governor Soludo commended the Archbishop for his dedication to the prison ministry and his generosity to the inmates. He said he was inspired by the Archbishop’s example of giving everyone a second chance.

Soludo announced that he would pay the Nabteb exam fees for 30 inmates who are preparing to write the exams. He also promised to provide solar panels and inverters to supply electricity to the center, which houses 1,125 inmates.

“I am here today to celebrate the Archbishop of Onitsha for his commitment to helping those who are often forgotten,” Soludo said.

The Governor urged the inmates to make use of the skills acquisition program at the center so that they can be productive members of society when they are released.

“I urge you to take the skills acquisition program seriously,” Soludo said. “When you are released from prison, you can use these skills to build a better life for yourself and your family.”

In his homily, the celebrant, Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke, noted that gratitude to God is the greatest sacrifice to offer.

The Archbishop has made many philanthropic gestures at the center, including rehabilitating a borehole that supplies water to all the cells, renovating the prison cells, and establishing a skill acquisition program where inmates can learn various skills.

The month-long birthday celebration of the Archbishop of Onitsha will also include visits to several hospitals in Onitsha, where he will pay the bills of patients who are unable to pay.

The Archbishop was awarded the Grand Patron of Inmates in Custody in Nigeria by the Controller General of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, represented by his Deputy, SN Nwakuche.

Former Governor, Peter Obi, Speaker House of Assembly, Rt Hon somtochukwu Udeze, SSG, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, Chief of Staff, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, Sen. Victor Umeh, Sen. Tony Nwoye, Sen Chris Ngige, National Chairman APGA, Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa, Papal Nuncio to Czech Republic, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo amongst others attended the mass.