Senator Ned Nwoko, [PDP, Delta North] is sponsoring a new piece of legislation titled “National Talent Rehabilitation and Integration Act” in the Nigerian senate.
The bill, if passed, will help to harness the skills and talents of offenders for society’s benefit.
Senator Nwoko said he was inspired to propose the bill in the light of a recent arrest of a young man involved in illicit but advanced arms manufacturing operation in the Onicha-Olona community within his constituency.
JolibaLive reported on March 13, 2024 the arrest by the Nigerian military of 22-year-old Emmanuel Eboka and some of his siblings operating an illegal arms factory. In the factory, they made guns, makeshift drones, could modify AK-47 magazines to hold 60 rounds instead of the standard 30 rounds and other weaponry.
The army said they believed the factory was sponsored by the separatist group, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.
Senator Nwoko said it was necessary to harness the skillset of such individuals’ involved in illegal activities, particularly in technology-related sectors, rather than allow it to waste.
“The bill Seeks to address the challenge of skilled individuals engaging in illegal activities”, he explained.
“This is particularly in technology-related fields, by providing a structured framework for their rehabilitation and integration into lawful employment and entrepreneurship.
“Through the establishment of the National Talent Rehabilitation and Integration Agency, the talents of offenders with specialized skills will be harnessed, public safety promoted, recidivism rates reduced and they can contribute to the economic development of the nation.”
Nwoko said it was crucial the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and the Ministry of Science and Technology were on board. These institutions, he suggested, can help professionalize and deepen the skills capacity of these offenders for national development.
The bill is yet to come up for public hearing at the upper chambers of the National Assembly.
Recently the billionaire senator, married to celebrity movie-star, Regina Daniels, was at the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Asaba. He was there to rub minds with the Brigade Commander regarding their findings during the storming of the manufacturing hideout.
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