🇳🇬 From Prisoners to Bakers: FG Launches Bakery Behind Bars!

By Safiyat Muhammed

“This bakery is more than flour and ovens. It is hope baked into bread — a second chance at life for our inmates.”
— Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior (represented by Abdul Malik Jibril)

In a bid to reduce post-incarceration stigma and foster economic reintegration, the Federal Government of Nigeria has commissioned a reformed bakery project inside the Kaduna Open Custodial Centre, according to the information made available to The Bureau Newspaper.

The initiative, executed in partnership with a private sector firm and the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at transforming custodial centres into hubs of rehabilitation and productivity.

A Bakery for Reform, Not Just Bread

At the commissioning event, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo—represented by Abdul Malik Jibril—emphasised that the new bakery would serve as a powerful tool in combating social prejudice against ex-inmates by equipping them with employable skills.

“The reformed bakery is designed to equip inmates with skills that will keep them away from crime and reintegrate them into society,” the Minister said.

From Cells to Skills: Empowering Inmates through Vocational Training

The Kaduna-based bakery is tailored to offer inmates nearing release:

Intensive vocational training in baking
Entrepreneurial knowledge
Production management skills

Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, noted that the facility is part of a broader rehabilitation strategy that includes agriculture, education through NOUN, and behavior modification.

“These inmates are being prepared to become contributors to society, not burdens,” he remarked. “We are building citizens, not criminals.”

Breaking the Cycle: From Incarceration to Integration

The Federal Government’s strategy goes beyond punishment. By integrating skills acquisition into the incarceration process, it hopes to:

Reduce recidivism
Empower inmates economically
Promote dignity and self-reliance

The bakery project is also expected to generate internal revenue for the correctional facility and contribute to inmate feeding programs.

Public-Private Collaboration at Work

The project is the result of a collaborative effort between the Nigeria Correctional Service and a yet-to-be-named private company under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Officials say more of such projects are being planned in other correctional centres nationwide as part of efforts to overhaul the prison system under the Tinubu-led administration.