The interventions of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action PRAWA to push the envelopes of prisoners’ rights and welfare moved to a new level on 26th February 2013. It was the occasion of the presentation of series of publications and information, education and communication materials developed and published by PRAWA to the Nigerian Prisons Services Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.

The publications and IEC materials include 20,000 copies of the new revised version of the Nigerian Prisons Service

NPS Standing Order, 10,000 copies of the Prisoners’ Information Handbook in English, Pidgin English, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba languages, 80 pieces of canvassed and embossed copies of the 3 Human Rights Training Posters and 1500 copies (500 copies each) of the 3 Human Rights Training Integrated Posters for distribution to all other prison formation in the country.

The Standing Order, Prisoners’ Information Handbook and uncanvassed and un-embossed copies of Human Rights Training Integrated Posters are to be distributed to all prison formations in Nigeria while the canvassed and embossed Human Rights Training Integrated Posters (including the ones on prisoners’ complaints and redress procedures) are for distribution to all the prisons institutions and State headquarters in the project targeted states of Lagos, Abuja FCT, Kaduna and Enugu

The presentation ceremony which took place at the Nigerian Prisons Headquarters Complex, Bill Clinton Way, Abuja Nigeria attracted many important dignitaries in the human rights and justice sector across Nigeria among who were the representatives of the British High Commission in Nigeria.

Making the presentation, the Executive Director of PRAWA Dr. Uju Agomoh, said the project was made possible with the mutual collaboration of Nigerian Prisons Service who developed the manuals that were printed with support of PRAWA, Human Rights Training Integration HRTI Project, Prison Reform Intervention in Africa PRIA Project and Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria. She thanked all the supporting Organizations for making such a gigantic project a reality. “It is the dream of PRAWA to see that at least every Prison Officer in Nigeria has a copy of NPS Standing Order and that every prisoner in Nigeria has access to Prisoners’ Information Handbook in any language of choice. I thank God that such a dream has become a reality” she concluded.

Receiving the publications and IEC materials, the Controller General of the Nigerian Prisons Service Mr. Zakari Ibrahim MFR expressed joy that a new era for collaboration with the interest groups towards the development of the prisons service in Nigeria has come. He expressed his gratitude for all that PRAWA has been doing towards prisons developments and prisoners welfare. He called on other NGOs to emulate the footsteps of PRAWA in initiating projects that are not only beneficial to the prison development but also sustainable.